The Villanovan | Volume 119, Issue 2: September 17, 2025
Never Forget: 9/11 Memorial
Scarlet Shafie Staff Writer
This past Thursday marked the 24th anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. In remembrance of one of the darkest days in American history, the Villanova community came together to reflect and honor those we lost. Memorial tributes were held across campus as students, faculty and alumni paid homage to the countless families forever affected by that day.
The Corr Hall Chapel, situated in the heart of the Main Campus, features a stained-glass memorial dedicated to the events of Sept. 11. The artwork depicts the Virgin Mary on one side and the Twin Towers on the other, accompanied by the Pentagon and the field near Shanksville, PA, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after its passengers bravely attempted to overpower the hijackers.
The tragedy not only shook the nation but left an imprint on our own community. The stained-glass memorial honors the lives of 15 Villanovans who were lost that day: W. David Bauer (‘78 VSB), James P. Berger (‘78 VSB), Dennis Michael Cook (‘90 CLAS), Jeannine Damiani-Jones (‘94 VSB), Christopher M. Dincuff (‘92 VSB), Jeffrey Mark Dingle (‘90 VSB), Christopher M. Duffy (‘00 VSB), William F. Fallon (‘70 CLAS), Peter Gelinas (‘90 VSB), Michael Gould (‘94 VSB), Amy Jarret (‘94 VSB), Jennifer Lynn Kane (‘97 VSB), Danielle Kousoulis (‘93 VSB), Kaaria Mbaya (‘86 CLAS) and Matthew Vianna (‘00 CLAS). Their names are forever etched in Villanova’s history, honoring them and encouraging us to live with courage and compassion.
Continuing this
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Reactions To Charlie Kirk Shooting p. 2
Day Of Service: People Behind The Project p. 14-15
The Origin Story: Day Of Service Celebrates 20th Anniversay
Co Editor-in-Chief
Lauren Armstrong Associate EIC
It was September of 2006, and now-University President Rev. Father Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D. was set to be inaugurated as the first new University president in 18 years. Villanova faculty and students celebrated him with formal receptions at a local art museum, a student Gala and various activities that would welcome Fr. Peter into the Villanova community. But he wanted more.
“I [wanted] to do something that draws the community together,” he said. “[The inauguration] was right around the time of St. Thomas of Villanova’s feast day, so I thought we should do something to remember St. Thomas of Villanova and his dedication to service.”
From there, the inaugural St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service was born.
Day of Service began as a small entity. There were about 1,000 participants and just 34 different sites. Since then, faculty and students alike have come together to broaden the scope and
reach hundreds of more communities throughout the Villanova and greater Philadelphia area.
“It is a wonderful way to start off the year, particularly for new members of the community that have not been fully indoctrinated,” Fr. Peter said. “I think it really helps to center that service is an important part of the University. It’s an important part of our mission.”
This year, on the 20th anniversary of the Day of Service, 5,000 participants across 230 registered groups will be assigned to 125 site partnerships established by the Day of Service committee.
But Fr. Peter never anticipated this much growth.
“It’s really special,” he said. “And, it’s humbling, too… [Day of Service] was supposed to be a one time deal. Nobody anticipated that we would continue doing this. I mean, Villanova has always done a lot of service across the school year…but nobody expected how big it would grow.”
But it’s not just the establishment of new partnerships that has changed over the past 20 years. It’s student involvement.
The first Day of Service was run entirely by the University, with all lo -
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Father Peter Delivers Opening Address
Zoe Garrett Political Columnist
Last Tuesday, Sept. 9, University President Rev. Peter Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D., delivered his annual opening address, a longstanding tradition marking the onset of a new academic year. During the event, he shared with the faculty and staff in attendance a wide range of developments pertaining to Villanova’s campus, current policies, future plans and priorities.
Father Kevin Appointed To Rome General Counsel p. 5
Volleyball Continues Undefeated Season p. 17
Father Peter opened by noting several important dates on the University’s calendar. He mentioned Day of Service–which, this year, will mark the
20th anniversary of this signature program for Villanova– as well as the new “Pops in the Pavillion” event during Family Weekend. He also called atten-
Behind The Screen: YikYak’s Role on Campus p. 8
Catching Up With The ‘Cats: Brian Finneran (‘98) p. 18
Career Fair Is A Bust For CLAS Students p. 8
Football Falls To No. 2 Penn State In Happy Valley p. 21
tion to 1842 Day, Villanova’s annual day of giving. The University President also discussed the renovations made to the University’s grounds over the summer. He acknowledged the diligent construction of the to-be new library, which will be located in Vic Maggitti Hall, as a successful project thus far.
The library will be located where Kennedy Hall, previous home of the University Shop and the Office of Financial Assistance, formerly
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Weekly Wrapped: Songs Of The Summer p. 25
Brooke Ackerman
Villanova students partake in Day of Service, helping the University advance their mission in fostering a service minded community. Courtesy of Villanova University
VillaVogue: A Look Into Fashion In Florence p. 10
Father Peter highlighted new renovations and projects to the Villanova community. Erick Quezada/Villanovan Photography
BROOKE
PUBLIC SAFETY BLOTTER
Public Urination
September 12, SEPTA R5 LOT
A non-affiliated male was observed in a parking lot urinating in public.
Liquor Underage
September 12, STANFORD HALL
A male resident student, under 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication.
Liquor Underage
September 13, SOUTH CAMPUS GROUNDS
An unaffiliated female, under 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication and released to a sober friend.
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.
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stood.
“It does what we want it to do: make the library the center of academic life here on campus,” Father Peter said.
The dramatic changes to the Connelly Center– namely, the installation of a Wawa convenience store in place of Belle Air Terrace and Holy Grounds– were also discussed during the address. Father Peter spoke highly of the renovation, stating that it was completed in “record time,” and offered an elevated dining and social experience for all Villanovans.
In addition to these large transformations, Father Peter also mentioned the implementation of new turf on the soccer field, the completion of the parking garage by the Health Center and the repair of elevators in Bartley and St. Mary’s Halls.
Details concerning the Commencement for the Class of 2026 were also discussed, including the rescheduling of the ceremony. Father Peter laid rumors of the event to rest, regretfully informing that Pope Leo XIV will not be the Commencement speaker.
Father Peter than shared updates on Villanova’s acquisition of Cabrini College and its merger with Rosemont College.
In terms of Cabrini, he disclosed that “lots of work” was happening on the campus. He shared that the Class of 2029 will have the option to live on the Cabrini Campus, where they will live in apartments or dorms and, notably, be able to have cars. He also discussed the installation of a new student union, study halls, academic departments and athletic facilities on the offsite campus. Staff members will soon be taking groups of freshmen over to the Cabrini Campus to tour potential living spaces.
Father Peter also revealed key developments in the University’s
merger with Rosemont College. He announced that in May 2027, Villanova will assume full operational control of the campus, and in May 2029, the merger will be complete.
The future for the Rosemont Campus at Villanova University, the campus’s official name, remains unclear. Father Peter shared that while there are not yet specific plans for how the University will utilize the space, he did assure the audience that the addition will “enable Villanova to expand the scale of its mission and faculties.”
The growing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) was also touched on. Father Peter thanked the University’s AI task force, a group of students, faculty and staff created by Provost Patrick Maggitti, who focused on how Villanova should deal with AI. In their cumulative report, the task force acknowledged the importance of a proactive strategy to prepare students for work with AI at Villanova.
Father Peter’s address then turned to how the University is handling the Trump administration’s actions pertaining to higher education. In terms of the executive’s cuts to federal funding for research programs and grants, the University President shared that Villanova has not been as “drastically affected” as other institutions.
Last, Father Peter pointed to the executive order from the Department of Education instructing institutions to dismantle all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts. While he did acknowledge the decision to rename Villanova’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to Unitas: the Office of Community Enrichment in light of these orders, Father Peter reaffirmed Villanova’s commitment to inclusivity for all, regardless of their backgrounds.
“The tradition of Catholic social teaching promotes dignity in all persons,” he stated. “Diversity, equity and inclusivity reflects the University’s values of veritas, caritas and unitas. It is and always will be who we are as Villanovans, and I do not apologize for it.”
Reactions To Charlie Kirk Shooting
Emma Cote Co-News Editor
Last week on Wednesday Sept. 10., political activist and founder of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at the University of Utah in front of over 3,000 people.
Kirk was speaking at the first of several university stops planned as part of “The American Comeback Tour.” Suspect Tyler Robinson was arrested last Friday.
There has been plenty of discourse in the days since the shooting, and Villanovans have reacted to the shocking news.
Andy Smith is the current president of Villanova Republicans, and spoke with The Villanovan about his reflection on the events.
“I was shocked,” Smith said. “What does this say about our democracy when we start shooting each other?”
Smith also emphasized the fact that the shooting occurred on a college campus open to the public, and the attack on free speech that demonstrated.
“His whole thing is dialogue and debate,” Smith said, “the fact that he was assassinated on a college campus is an attack on that.”
On Thursday, Sept.18, Villanova Republicans will be hosting a vigil for Charlie Kirk by the Mother of Good Counsel statue. There, Smith and other executive members of Villanova Republicans will share their own remarks followed by one of the priests leading the group in prayer.
Joseph Scerbo is the current president of Villanova Democrats, and also spoke with The Villanovan on the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
“The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a cowardly act of political violence that must be condemned,” Scerbo said, “This cannot be who we are.”
Scerbo highlighted the increase in political violence across both sides of the aisle over the course of the past calendar year.
“We have seen Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband assassinated in their home, an arson attack on Governor Shapiro’s house, two assassination attempts on President Trump,” Scerbo said, “and now this.”
Catie Gaffoglio is a current junior studying political science and spoke to The Villanovan about what she has seen online in the days since.
“I’ve seen quite a few people online insinuating that Charlie Kirk deserved to be murdered and that’s a really cruel and insensitive thing to post,” Gaffoglio said.
Gaffoglio also expressed her belief that students at the University must show empathy.
“Regardless of what you believe, no one deserves to lose their life,” Gaffoglio said. “As Villanovans especially, we are called to show kindness and compassion.”
Fox 29 Philadelphia spoke to Villanova students at the University on the shooting death of Charlie Kirk.
Students in the article emphasized that this isn’t a matter of left vs right, but some called attention to Kirk’s stances on gun control.
“He’s making all of these comments about guns and how guns are not the problem and then having this happen with a gun,” freshman Sadie McCallum said to Fox 29 Philadelphia. “Here at Villanova, we had the shooting threat about three weeks ago and so people here are, I would say, do not have very favorable views about gun violence and guns’ roles in gun violence.”
Across party lines, different majors and various on-campus organizations, most students report feeling shocked above any other emotion.
Zoe Garrett Political Columnist
The Day Of: Taking You Through Day Of Service
Finn Courtney Co-News Editor
As the St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service turns 20 years old this Saturday, The Villanovan has you covered with an in-depth look at the day and what Villanova students should expect from start to finish. While it may be an early start for all who are taking part in the day, all of the people behind it on the Day of Service Committee would agree that it’s certainly a worthwhile one.
For sophomore, junior and senior students, the day is one whose structure you’ll likely be familiar with. But for first-year students, transfer students or returning students that have never before partaken in Day of Service, this will be a new experience that both the University and this year’s committee hope is a fruitful and uplifting one.
This year’s student chair, senior Victoria Diaz, believes that the expected 4500-plus group leaders and volunteers are doing not just something good, but undertaking a responsibility for all Villanovans.
“My mission that I’ve been very much instilling into my committee this year is that as I grew up, my parents raised me that if you’re fortunate enough to help someone else, you do so, no questions asked,” Diaz said. “From my own personal values, I think it’s very important that if you can, you’re willing to help the neighbor next to you.”
Beginning with the inauguration of University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D. back in 2006, 20 years and 20 days of
service later, Saturday will double as a celebration of what’s come before and what is still to come.
“[Father Peter] created this community that focuses on helping those in need and we are a community that helps [those surrounding us] because we’re in a position that we’re able to do that,” Diaz said. “I think from him, bringing in those values is very important, that we’re honoring his mission and this aspect of helping those that need help.”
When group leaders and students arrive at Villanova Stadium at around 8 a.m. on Saturday, the former will get a packet containing everything needed for the day, from keys for vans to pens, paper, nametags and group leaders will meet the volunteers within that group at their service site number at about 8:30 a.m., marked by signs within the stadium.
A few hours earlier, the committee will begin their Saturday at 5 a.m. in the happy culmination of a months-long process and particularly this year, a very meaningful one.
“[We’ll] set up the whole stadium, basically organizing all the groups and cones and also all the lunches,” senior Patrick Casale, Marketing and Outreach Co-Director, said. “We have a lot of past alumni from the committee coming to this year’s Day of Service because it’s our 20th anniversary, so we’ll hear from them.”
In addition to the alumni, both Diaz and Father Peter will also say a few words, with the opening ceremony wrapping up at about 9 a.m. From there, group leaders and students will go to their respective vans and buses and off to their service sites for a number of hours until they
return to campus for a post-day celebration, befitting the anniversary.
On the topic of service sites and keeping with the 20th anniversary, this year’s committee put an emphasis on the partnership aspect of Day of Service, leading up to the day, the day itself and afterwards.
“This year specifically, we’ve been really focused on the partnership aspect of our committee,” junior Maddy Scoblick, Service Site Junior Co-Director, said. “We’ve really been focused on showcasing that it’s not just a one-sided interaction with these sites, but a double-sided interaction. [There’s also] going to be an event, post Day of Service, that really hammers in this idea.”
Day of Service also serves as the first real chance for first-year students at Villanova to give back to the surrounding community and the greater Philadelphia area and one that both the University and Committee marks the first of four days across their four years here.
While there are different ways to get involved in service at Villanova, be it a student organization or volunteer work, Day of Service represents the first step towards that and representing Villanova in a common cause.
“I hope my new students see Villanova’s core values of Caritas and Unitas in action,” Pat Cregan, Orientation counselor and Day of Service Group Leader, said. “Day of Service is a great introduction to the love and unity that powers the Villanova community. What makes Villanova so special is our shared passion for putting others first [and] I hope Villanovans keep in mind that service does not need to be some grand event. You can serve others in your day to day life
by leading with kindness and understanding.”
For other organizations on campus, from Greek Life to student life organizations to club sports, they too will partake in a variety of different service sites, giving their all from the moment they step off the buses to when they depart.
“Day of Service embodies what Villanova’s goal as a university is: giving back because we are part of something greater than ourselves,” junior Justin Sebelin, Co-President of Club Pickleball and a Day of Service Group Leader, said. “For Villanova pickleball, the opportunity to share our passion with individuals of all abilities allows us to witness firsthand the joy and inclusivity that pickleball fosters. You can hear about the impact the university students have on Day of Service, but once you are able to volunteer and experience it firsthand, you truly understand the Villanovan outreach into the community.”
Diaz hopes that both great work gets done and that Villanovans, despite the early wake up and perhaps challenging tasks that lie ahead of them on the day, gain positive experiences from Day of Service, as they’re doing a lot, perhaps more than they think with seemingly small tasks.
“Just knowing that the site had a great experience, the volunteers had a great experience and we were able again to help the organization further their mission,” Diaz said. “You might be doing a small project for a site and you might not see the full completion of it all. You might not see the full picture but just know, volunteers, you’re helping them fulfill their organization and their needs and just supporting them the best they can.”
Students Take on The Career Fair
Isabella Carlin Co-News Editor
Finn Courtney Co-News Editor
This past Wednesday, students headed to the Finneran Pavilion to attend the annual Career Fair.
Held at the beginning of each semester, the Career Fair presents the opportunity for students and alumni to network and connect with companies.
This year, approximately 150 companies were on-site to speak with students regarding part-time, full-time and internship positions.
The Career Fair is organized by the Villanova Career Center. This office is located in Garey Hall, Suite 117, and works to provide students with opportunities to explore future professional careers through programming and networking events.
This year’s fair was sponsored by Lockheed Martin.
According to a statement on the Career Center’s website: “The event draws in employers from a variety of industries who seek leadership programs, intern and full-time candidates. Students and alumni have landed their next
NOVAdance
Katie Bryda Staff Writer
NOVAdance, Villanova’s chapter of the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation (pronounced Be Positive), recently kicked off its year of campaigning for childhood cancer with the Honoring Andrew Campaign.
Andrew McDonough was 14 years old when he passed away from childhood cancer.
Since NOVAdance was established in 2013 to honor Andrew, the chapter has become one of the largest supporters for the B+ Foundation.
Andrew McDonough fought for 167 days with cancer before he passed in 2007. His blood type, B+, became the motto for the McDonough family, and later the foundation created in his honor.
The B+ Foundation states that “The B+ Foundation was formed, with the goals to provide financial help to families of children with cancer, to support childhood cancer research, to advocate for more funding and to spread The B+ message: ‘It’s not a grade. It’s an attitude.’”
On Sept. 3, 2025, Andrew would have turned 33 years old. So to kick off its campaign year, NOVAdance shared how to “Live Like Andrew.”
A number of students joined together at the Oreo to create a video of how they try each day to live like Andrew did.
“Keeping a smile on my face at all times,” one student said. “Trying new things,” another said.
opportunity at this fair year after year. Bring your Wildcard, copies of your resume and dress professionally.”
Students from every class year and college were invited to attend the Career Fair, which took place from 2 to 6 p.m., so that students could work around their daily schedules in order to visit the fair.
“Getting the chance to interact with different companies and organizations was a very enlightening experience,” sophomore environmental science major George Stattelman-Scanlan said. “It’s a great chance to get a head start on learning about different paths and different internships available.”
Students were able to engage directly with company representatives and recruiters at booths they were interested in.
Many of the employees who attended were Villanova alumni who are looking to hire Villanova students.
“I learned about what it means to network with employers and really put myself out there,” sophomore exploratory arts student Noah Okenquist said. “It helped me gain experience and confidence while also setting up a comfortable space to explore the work field.”
The Career Fair also provided students the chance to get a head start on internship networking and applications.
“Right now is my recruiting season, especially accounting and finance for Summer 2027,” sophomore accounting major Ally Flynn said. “So, this is, like, a time for me to be connecting with employers and learning about opportunities and applying to roles because they are recruiting so far in advance and so I really enjoyed it.”
Participating companies included Comcast, Lockheed Martin, PWC, Northwest Mutual Disney and Moderna.
The Career Center encouraged students to bring copies of their resumes and dress professionally to make their best impressions with employers.
Although the event offered a wide range of industries, some
students were disappointed that more professional fields were not represented at the Career Fair.
“I was disappointed to see that it was so heavily focused on students in the business or engineering schools,” sophomore environmental science major Casey Bennett said. “I was looking to get experience talking with employers. But unfortunately I was not able to get that.”
Even though the Career Fair is over, students can partake in the Career Center’s various professional development events throughout the year.
The office provides free headshots, interview rooms and industry advising. The Career Center will also host another Career Fair in the Spring.
“Live(s) Like Andrew” and
While these were just a few of the responses from students, each represents what Joe McDonough, founder of the B+ Foundation, says of Andrew and his spirit.
Villanova was not the only college campus that fundraised this week. Working alongside other universities, the ultimate goal was exceeded.
This year, for Andrew’s 33rd birthday, the B+ Foundation had a goal of raising $33,000 on Sept. 3.
September also marks the beginning of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and as one of the largest providers of both financial and emotional support for families battling childhood cancer, the B+ Foundation knew they had to make it count.
On Sept. 3, the B+ Foundation raised a total of $42,027.08 for childhood cancer. Since it was the first campaign of the year, NOVAdance couldn’t help but celebrate.
“It was so amazing to see the community come together for the campaign and share how they ‘Live Like Andrew,’” Co-Executive Director Annie O’Brien said. “NOVAdance is truly a family, and I can’t wait to see everyone spread positivity across Villanova’s campus over the upcoming year.”
Lauren Markarian is the captain of the community and alumni subcommittee, and also voiced her enthusiasm for the fundraiser and the coming year.
“The ‘Live Like Andrew’ campaign at Villanova was a huge success,” Markarian said. “The campaign not only raised funds
and awareness for the B+ Foundation, but it also was able to spark conversations amongst students to live with purpose and joy every day.”
NOVAdance is gearing up for another full year, with applications for Sidekicks, Engagement Coordinators, Team Captains and many more opening up for students of every grade on Villanova’s campus.
This will be an eventful year for NOVAdance as applications open and Morale Committee color teams are announced.
This past week, applications for hero liasions were also launched. This group works closely with the heroes and their fami
At its most recent dance marathon, NOVAdance raised $708,269.10 for families affected by childhood cancer, and their goals are only getting higher.
This year, Committee has
Shoots
for 8
announced that they’re shooting for $800,000.
The past few years, NOVAdance has continued to make $100,000 leaps.
Last year was the first time $700,000 had been raised.
This year, committee sees no exception when it comes to goal setting.
Within the coming months, committee has mapped out fundraising strategy.
From canning trips to awareness week, NOVAdance is equipped to start the race for 8.
Look out as NOVAdance continues its “Why Wednesday” weekly campaigns, celebrate its very own B+ heroes, and catch volunteers all around campus recruiting new members and getting ready for another year of supporting the B+ Foundation with everything they have. The race for 8 is on!
Last year, NOVAdance made history and rasied over their $700,000 goal. Courtesy of Villanova University
Students explore a variety of career opportunities at the career fair. Cate Torrey/Villanovan Photography
Father Kevin Appointed To Rome General Counsel
Ava Petrosky Staff Writer
The Rev. Kevin DePrinzio, O.S.A., Ph.D., Vice President for Mission & Ministry will be joining fellow Villanova alumni, Fr. Joseph Farrell, the Prior General of the Augustinian Order, and Pope Leo XIV in Rome.
He was elected to the General Council of the Order of St. Augustine on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.
He will serve as the assistant general for English-speaking provinces. His role is effective immediately.
In an email to the University, University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue O.S.A., Ph.D. calls this change “bittersweet.”
“For the past five years, Father Kevin has done a wonderful job leading the Office for Mission and Ministry, playing a vital role in ensuring Villanova’s commitment to living out our Augustinian Catholic mission in every aspect of University life,” the email read.
Fr. DePrinzio has been a member of the Augustinian Order since 2000 and was ordained in 2004.
Prior Provincial Father Robert Hagan, O.S.A., has known Fr. DePrinzio since their shared
time in the seminary in Washington D.C.
“We were classmates for six years in our time in formation,” said Fr. Hagan. “So, you know, dinners together, social events together, studying for exams and graduation. We went through all those experiences together. I have to say, I’ve been proud watching him grow in his life as an Augustinian.”
Fr. Hagan also feels that this transition is bittersweet.
“I’m not surprised that [Fr. Farrell] saw in Fr. Kevin gifts to use on behalf of the order,” Fr. Hagan said. “When he [Fr. Farrell] picked his name, there was kinda a sense of mixed emotions in my stomach. Like, oh wow this is gonna be great for Father Joe and for the order, and it’s gonna be a terrible loss for the local Villanova University community.”
Many faculty, staff and students have been reflecting on their interactions and time with Fr. DePrinzio.
One is senior Kaitlin Gibson, who has known Fr. DePrinzio since her freshman year. He taught her THL1000 course.
“He was one of the first impressions I had of Villanova, and he left a really great one,” Gibson said. “He’s just an incredibly kind person with a wonderful, wonderful soul. I was just sad to
see that he was leaving.”
As the co-president of the Villanova Pastoral Musicians, Gibson spoke with some faculty members and students involved with Mission and Ministry.
She said many, especially faculty members, were saddened by the news.
“Not upset in the sense that they were angry…just upset that their boss was leaving, and they really, really valued him,” Gibson said.
Alumni who personally knew Fr. DePrinzio have also reacted to the news.
Alumna Erika Scales, class of 2023, wrote to Gibson in a text: “Is he still going to be able to have coffee chats and officiate weddings?”
Fr. DePrinzio has left a lasting impression on Villanova. While many are disappointed by his sudden departure, there is much hope for the future of the church.
“I hope he brings [to Rome] some of what we’ve said to him,” Gibson said. “I know, at least, what I’ve said to him in a class setting, and what people at Villanova have said to him about what needs to change, what needs to be improved upon…but it also invites a lot of dialogue and thoughtfulness about the future of our church.”
The Villanova Augustinian community will be awaiting to see how Fr. Kevin utilizes his strengths in his new position.
“I think that one of Fr. Kevin’s strengths is his ability to forge and cultivate relationships,” Fr. Hagan said. “I do think a portion of his duties will be to travel around certain parts of the world, maybe particularly in North America and some other countries, to listen, to strengthen relationship, and to keep the channels of communication open in such a way that people are heard where the struggles are, and where the order may be able to help the Augustinian communities around the world with whatever they may need.”
Immediately after his appointment, Fr. DePrinzio traveled to Rome. However, this is not goodbye for the Villanova community just yet. He will return to campus the week of Sept. 22. His time back will be utilized to implement a smooth transition within Mission & Ministry. There will then be a congratulatory reception to honor Fr. DePrinzio and his new leadership role. The date has not yet been announced.
“I think he’ll be missed,” Gibson said. “Not just because of the work he did, but because of the environment he created on campus.”
The Room Where It Happens: Department Of War
Hudson Zivic Staff Writer
The phrase “history repeats itself” is widely known and often used for various reasons.
It highlights recurring patterns in human behavior, societal trend, and historical or political events.
That’s where Hamilton: An American Musical comes in. The comparison for this analysis: is history really repeating itself?
Through its modern retelling of America’s founding era, Hamilton offers a lens that merges past and present, making it comparable with today’s political landscape.
By examining a quote from the musical alongside a contemporary political story, we can explore whether the ideals, conflicts and ambitions that shaped the early republic are echoing in current events, or if what appears familiar is simply history’s rhyming, not its repetition.
When President Donald Trump announced his symbolic rebranding of the Defense Department as the “Department of War,” the move felt theatrical in a way fans of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton might appreciate.
In the musical, Hamilton urgently declares that the revolutionaries are “outgunned, outmanned” and demands greater resources to match British power.
His words are a rallying cry, a refusal to accept weakness in the face of overwhelming odds.
Trump’s renaming effort taps into that same logic: the idea that strength is best communicated not through cautious words like “defense,” but through blunt assertions of power.
Yet where Hamilton’s plea arose from desperation, Trump’s gesture comes from abundance.
The United States today fields the world’s most powerful military, backed by unmatched budgets and global reach.
Rebranding “defense” as “war” is not about survival. It is
about messaging.
Words matter in politics, and this shift risks reframing the military’s role from protection to aggression, altering both domestic perception and international interpretation.
Just as Hamilton’s lyrics were designed to inspire, Trump’s renaming is meant to signal resolve. But in doing so, it blurs the line between readiness and belligerence.
The Department of War, created in 1789, carried a straightforward purpose: manage the nation’s military campaigns.
In 1947, the renaming to the Department of Defense reflected a different world, a Cold War era where America wanted to present itself as a stabilizing force, committed to collective security rather than conquest.
Reversing that rhetorical shift is more than nostalgia. It risks discarding decades of carefully
constructed narrative about America’s role in the world.
Allies may see it as a provocation, adversaries as confirmation of hostility, and citizens as evidence that conflict is not exceptional but expected.
Ultimately, this is where the Hamilton parallel sharpens into critique. In the musical, being “outgunned” is a spur to action, a call to secure independence.
Today, the danger is that America confuses performance with policy.
Rebranding defense as war does not address military readiness, veterans’ need, or the difficult debates about when to use force.
Instead, it transforms national security into a stage cue. History may not be repeating itself, but it is certainly rhyming, reminding us that ambition, language and image can be as powerful as the armies they describe.
Donald Trump announces change to Department of War. Emma Cote/Villanovan Photography
Lyricism from Hamilton can be applicable to department name change. Isabella Carlin/Villanovan Photography
Betty Lundborn Staff Writer
For many first-year Villanovans, one of the hardest parts about coming to this University will prove to be rejection. Most people here were high-achieving, honor roll students in high school, and many of us most likely had a distinct talent that helped us end up here. I have heard of stand-out extracurriculars ranging from playing the cello to being a female boy scout. Although this commitment to being excellent is part of what makes us Villanovans, it can also be a difficult thing to grapple with on a personal level. Although you may have been “the best” at something in high school, so were most people here.
Now, I’m not trying to discourage anyone from trying new things or from continuing with their already-established passions. I’m actually here to say that rejection is one of the best things that has happened to me at Villanova. Funny enough, rejection is how I ended up at Villanova in the first place. I had convinced myself that my dream was to go to the University of Georgia (UGA). Looking back, I couldn’t really tell you why that was, aside from the fact that it was highly unlikely that I would see anyone from my high school there. However, people that know me would also know that I know nothing about football, I don’t like being hot, and I get agitated even making the trek to West Campus.
OPINION Rejection Opens New Doors
Being waitlisted at UGA was, to put it kindly, the universe doing me a favor.
All this is to say, although difficult, rejection is almost always for the best, although it may not feel like it in the moment. But how can we take that heavy feeling and push past it? It’s perfectly okay to just sit in your room and cry over a bag of Dot’s Pretzels. However, you can’t let this stop you from trying out other things.
Say you didn’t make it into the sorority of your choice last year. Many of them are doing contin-
uous open bidding this semester. Didn’t hear back from an on-campus job? Go and ask in person. Didn’t get into a selective club? There are plenty of organizations that don’t have application processes.
This includes groups such as intramural sports, cultural organizations such as the Black Student Union (BSU), service clubs like Rays of Sunshine and RUIBAL and even media clubs, including The Villanovan
“I mean, it was a good opportunity to audition for a capella
and get comfortable singing in front of other people, which is something that I was terrified of doing before,” senior psychology major Madison Romano said. “The rejection aspect of it did suck, but it just means that it wasn’t meant for me. And now, I can put time towards other things that I enjoy.”
Romano’s spirit of resilience is something that many other Villanovans will have to embody during their time here. And, she brings up another good point: by going through interview and audition processes here in college that may not always turn out in our favor, we are still practicing skills that will aid us in the working world. If an interview on campus didn’t go well, you can still use that experience to reflect on yourself. What went well, and what can you change? By knowing what our strengths and weaknesses are, it makes us become better candidates for jobs in the future.
So the moral of the story is, keep trying. Rejection one, twice or even three times does not mean that you aren’t meant to be there. In a way, it’s the universe telling you that you are meant for something else. In Romano’s experience, the extra time she was able to devote to musical theatre allowed her to become the president of the club. If I hadn’t had extra time on my hands due to my own rejections, I wouldn’t have been able to join The Villanovan or even become an RA. Our rejections, while difficult, often open the door to our greatest acceptances.
One Day of Service, 364 Days To Connect More
Nicole Liddicoat Co-Editor-in-Chief
Each September, Villanova sends thousands of students, faculty and staff out into the greater Philadelphia area for the University’s annual Day of Service (DOS). On the surface, the day looks like a triumph of our Augustinian values. Weeds are pulled, school doors get painted, and people are fed. The photos fill Instagram, Villanova’s service identity is reinforced, and everyone goes home feeling a little better about themselves.
But the question remains: what are we actually accomplishing, and why are we doing it?
Day of Service produces a complicated mix of real impact and empty gestures. Yes, communities benefit in visible ways, the committee works tirelessly to connect us with those in need and many students show up genuinely ready to help. For those students, the day is transformative. They meet community members and reflect on social issues they might otherwise overlook. The net result is undeniably positive.
Yet, alongside the genuine efforts lies a troubling reality: not all participation is equal, and not all motivations are pure. Some students are there only because they feel pressured. Echoed by Orientation groups, certain clubs, sports and the DOS committee shouting by the Oreo,
participation is strongly encouraged or required, turning volunteering into something transactional rather than intentional. Instead of an act of solidarity, it becomes a box to check.
I have watched students drag themselves through tasks, putting in the bare minimum while waiting for the hours to tick by. Then, as soon as the work ends, they post smiling group photos online from the post-DOS celebration event, presenting themselves as models of generosity. This is where the idea of “toxic charity” comes in.
Fr. Arthur Purcaro, O.S.A., who has long been involved in Villanova’s mission and ministry efforts, describes toxic charity as service that happens without real connection.
“Part of the concept of toxic charity is that we think that it is enough to do for, rather than to do with,” Fr. Art said. “[Real service] is not just me offering you either a plate of food, or this service. I [have to] actually step into your shoes, I need to talk to you…When we treat people as less, paternalistic, ‘I’m on top and I can help you,’ ‘I’m the savior,’ it [becomes] ‘I feel good,’ but it’s not changing the situation.”
His words highlight what makes Day of Service both powerful and problematic. Service without relationships may clean up a park or paint a school, but it does little to break down barriers between the University and its surrounding communities.
That lack of connection can
be spotted on Day of Service. We march into neighborhoods as outsiders, spend a few hours completing a project, and many leave without ever really listening to or learning from the people who live there every day. In the process, we can unintentionally reinforce social hierarchies. We are the helpers, they are the helped. We feel accomplished, but nothing truly changes in how we see or relate to one another.
This isn’t to say Day of Service is meaningless. Organizations genuinely benefit from the labor and attention, and many students do walk away with a changed perspective. The DOS committee works hard to build relationships and help students understand them. Still, for the majority, this reflection process and long-term commitment never take root as many are unwilling to listen or simply don’t care. That’s where the model shows its limits. A single day of volunteering cannot substitute for long-term engagement, a photo on social media cannot replace reflection and a spirit of obligation or pushing numbers cannot create the kind of solidarity Villanova values.
If Villanova wants the Day of Service to live up to its mission, it needs to confront these tensions directly.
“[The University has] certainly, the past 10 years, much more intentionally taken this into account,” Fr. Art said. “So we partner with insti-
tutions, we don’t just go and do. But I think that might be, in some cases, on a level of institution to institution rather than person to person.”
It is important to look into the future, and recognize where we can improve.
“In five years’ time, how will this be different?” Fr. Art said. “What’s the service we’re providing you? Can we help you to make it different in five years’ time? If we’re doing the same thing [in] five years as we’re doing right now, we’ve done nothing.”
His challenge makes clear that one day of service is only meaningful if it leads to deeper, longer-term solidarity. For students who want to continue that engagement, the University offers many opportunities. Through organizations like Ruibal, the Sophomore Service Learning Community (SSLC) and Community Outreach of Villanova (COV), among others, students can take part in regular service both on and off campus.
At its best, service is not about us, it’s about others. It’s not about social posts, or moral superiority. It’s about humility and solidarity. Charity becomes toxic when it centers the giver rather than the receiver. Day of Service can still be a powerful tradition, but only if we recognize that its impact depends less on what we do for a few hours in September and more on how we continue to engage the other 364 days of the year.
Many clubs at Villanova have selective application processes. Graydon Paul/Villanovan Photography
EDITORIAL BOARD LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
BROOKE ACKERMAN
NICOLE LIDDICOAT
LAUREN ARMSTRONG
KAILEY FAHY
ZOE SCHACK
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief
Associate Editor-in-Chief
Opinion Editor
Opinion Editor
Kailey Fahy Co-Opinion Editor
On Aug. 21, the Villanova community received a NovaAlert at 4:34 p.m., alerting those on campus to an “active shooter.” At the same time the alert came through, the University was celebrating the annual Welcome Mass, at which new students and their families look toward the next four years and celebrate the last of their time together before families depart, an already emotional event for many. However, that emotion quickly shifted from feelings of bittersweet hope to pure panic. Once that alert came through, people began running for their lives, with some screaming that shots were being fired. Many describe how the sound of folding chairs collapsing was confused with gunshots during this time of mass hysteria. What should have been a defining moment of welcome instead became one of fear, leaving a stain on what is meant to be a joyful Villanova tradition. And for those who were there, the trauma and lasting effects were real and should not be dismissed.
My brother, a first-year, had just moved in the day before, so he and the rest of my family were at the Mass. I had to work, so I missed move-in and planned to see him later that weekend. When the alert came, I panicked and started calling and texting until I reached my mom, who told me they’d been separated. As each described the buildings they were in, I tried to guide them with what little I knew about the alleged shooter’s location. I began to realize while speaking to them that the buildings I had class in, places I had eaten dinner in so many times and rooms where I had met my friends, were now becoming bunkers for my loved ones to hide from a potential threat. Even now, those images linger and many who were there echo this sentiment. While everyone finally got the all-clear and the notification that it was all a hoax about an hour and a half after the initial alert, the effects of that agonizing time are still very real. To dismiss the incident as “just a hoax” ignores the genuine terror felt by students, families and faculty during those long 90 minutes.
While the event was traumatic for everyone, Orientation counselors faced an especially difficult challenge. They were responsible for guiding a group of new students they had only just met, while also coping with the fear of seeing the campus they had
The Villanovan encourages all members of the Villanova community to voice their opinions. Letters to the editors may be submitted via e-mail to villanovan.eic@gmail.com. Letters must not exceed 500 words and must be signed. No anonymous letters will be published. All submissions become property of The Villanovan and are subject to editing for clarity and space.
Let Compassion Lead
POLICY
The unsigned editorial that appears is the opinion of The Villanovan as determined by the majority of the Editorial Board. Other columns, letters and artwork represent the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Villanovan
worked so hard to make feel like home suddenly terrorized. Expecting them to carry the weight of new students’ safety while processing their own fear was an extremely heavy burden that deserves more recognition.
“It seemed like a lot of the upperclassmen were having maybe even a harder time than some of the new students that had not really been on campus,” junior Kate MacLaughlin, an Orientation counselor, said. “I feel like that’s because, you know, this place has been our home for a while.”
After the swatting incident, there seemed to be an urgency to reinstate a sense of normalcy on campus. This sense is validated; it was the Class of 2029’s first full day on campus. A sense of frenzy, panic and fear are not the overwhelming feelings Villanova hopes to instill in first-years during their first moments on campus. Despite this, though, initial communication efforts seemed to cause more confusion. Sending a hasty email
calling people to convene on the campus green moments after bunkering down from an active shooter caused even more anxiety, as they began to question the authenticity of University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D. messaging. The University’s communication failures that day deepened mistrust at a moment when clarity and reassurance were most needed.
“The emails that came at the end of it, people were definitely weary because it wasn’t through NovaAlert,” senior Tess Chiarello, an Orientation steering leader, said. “I understood why people were concerned about that, but I also know NovaAlert, and I know things go wrong. But even I was a little worried at first when I got that email, thinking, ‘What if this is fake?’ But as they continued to confirm it, I felt much safer about that. But I can understand why families and parents who aren’t used to how everything works here wouldn’t have wanted to go out -
side because that’s not the way you expect to get that information.”
Looking at this swatting incident, especially from an outsider perspective, it is easy for many to brush off the emotional trauma those involved experienced. While it “wasn’t real” in the end, the lockdown was. People may be taking their cues from the fact that the University proceeded as normal. This wasn’t wrong. Some people crave togetherness, especially in times like these. However, it is important to remember that everyone processes things differently. There is no one set way for the University, students or faculty to respond. The guiding factor, though, as an Augustinian University, should be compassion. Villanovans have a responsibility not only to move forward but also to acknowledge the lingering pain of those most affected.
When talking about how the swatting incident impacted her and the way in which the University responded, Chiarello wished Villanova had been more “proactive about letting professors know Orientation counselors were dealing with this and hadn’t really had time to process.”
“What wasn’t great was a lot of people had professors who weren’t being super respectful about the situation,” Chiarello said. “Dean DeMarco stepped in and made sure professors were aware that comments made about the swatting needed to be made with grace, reenacting barricading and making comments or jokes about that isn’t appropriate. A lot of people weren’t on campus and aren’t aware of who is an [Orientation counselor] and who is not.”
Unitas, veritas and caritas are the values that guide Villanova University and have been instilled in all of its community members. Especially when responding to situations like this, these values should guide the decisions we make. Those who brush it off as a hoax do not understand that for nearly two hours, everyone on campus was fearing for their lives. Extend grace to those who were here and let compassion guide decisions. While it’s easy to move on from such horror, and that’s how some may process, the effects are lingering. This is something that has deeply affected many in our community, whether we want to acknowledge that or not. When a community is broken, we must rely on our shared values, instilled in us, to uplift those who may feel weakened. Healing is only possible if we take this experience seriously and choose to let compassion, not dismissal, shape our path forward.
Villanovans should strive to be united by the University’s core values in times of hardship. Sophia Lutzker/Villanovan Photography
Behind The Screen: YikYak’s Role on Campus
Kaitlin Lawrenson Staff Writer
From Wawa to the basketball team, YikYak is a great way to keep up with what is trending among students on campus. The posts come rolling in at all hours of the day, sharing anonymous tips, jokes and other lighthearted comments to keep the school community connected as well as up to date. However, what happens when this app crosses the line from fun to too far? What happens when people are posting initials of others they are trying to expose, hiding behind the profiles on their phones and making inappropriate jokes regarding serious situations? I understand that the true meaning of YikYak is meant to be fun and lighthearted, but I believe that it has become something dangerous that is enjoyable for some and dreadful for others.
I remember last January when I had entered the sorority recruitment process, people were anonymously writing comments on YikYak throughout the entire week. From ignorant comments about how you were only cool if you were in a certain sorority to guys ranking their favorite sororities, my friends and I had to delete the app for the rest of the week. We were trying to find our place and people after a very tumultuous first semester, and every time we opened an app that was supposed to be a way to laugh things off, we ended up feeling ashamed
and judged from people we didn’t know. People’s opinions, no matter how anonymous they may seem, can not only be hurtful but cause a lot of uncertainty when trying to make an already overwhelming decision.
The main issue that surrounds this app is the anonymity. I believe that if you have the nerve to say something as heinous as some of the comments I have seen on the app, then you should have the nerve to write your name. By making comments, accusations, sometimes even creating lies and being able to hide behind the screen without ever being discovered is what fuels these unhealthy threads on the page. If people had to upload a picture of their faces, names and grades when posting judgements or senseless comments about others, I wonder how many would still choose to make their posts public to the student body.
I don’t want my opinion to
be misconstrued as the typical, “no one can take a joke anymore.” I have a sense of humor, and a pretty strong one at that. However, I am also old enough to know when something is no longer funny and can hurt someone else, even if we don’t realize it. This is the issue with all social media at the end of the day. Something meant to be social, fun and positive being turned into a place to spread false information and hurtful words. At least on Instagram or Snapchat, you can find the profile of whoever is making the posts, whereas on YikYak it can be just about anybody. Then you are left to question how many people in the student body truly believe some of these ideas when it comes to cliques, culture, and more.
Now, being a sophomore, I have the ability to filter most of what I see on the app through my head, not allowing most of the senseless comments to bother me. Let’s be clear: I am still human and words can still hurt even when they are
from strangers, I just know better. I cannot help but think of the freshmen who don’t have the same confidence to let so many threads and comments just roll off their back, because that was me last year. It is especially damaging when serious situations on campus or in our world are turned into material for fodder and rumors on the app, leading to a culture of insensitivity.
“As a student who also works in Residence Life, I see firsthand how students arrive on campus at one of the most vulnerable and uncertain points in their lives,” Jack McLaughlin, a residence assistant and junior said. “Anonymous apps like this become tools for spreading abuse, and whether you’re the target or just a bystander, every hateful post takes a toll on your mental health.”
I understand the intention of YikYak and I believe that as a campus we should strive to transform the app back to the state of its original intended purpose. By making the app a welcoming place where all opinions are welcome, jokes can still be shared but holding those accountable for their posts may make the forum a safer place for all Villanovans. When people have their usernames and student email addresses attached to a joke they are making, hopefully that will cause users to think twice before posting their thoughts onto the thread. At the end of the day, anonymity should never come at the cost of someone else’s dignity. And until we hold each other accountable, even behind a screen, the harm will continue to outweigh the humor.
Career Fair Is A Bust For CLAS Students
Lexie Scibilia Staff Writer
Every September, Villanova’s Career Fair rolls around, bringing plenty of excitement. Employers set up tables in the Finneran Pavilion, students line up in their best business attire and the buzz around internships and job opportunities fills the room. For business and engineering students, this event is gold. They can count on finding dozens of companies eager to meet them, many of which are clearly looking for students with their exact skillsets. Honestly, it’s great to see how many doors open for those students. But as a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) student, my experience has been a lot more lukewarm. Each year I leave wondering why I bothered attending. As a junior, this was my third year attending the Career Fair, and each time I have walked out wondering if it was worth the effort. It’s not that I expect the fair to have a perfect match for every liberal arts major. I know CLAS doesn’t have the same straight-forward path that business or engineering does. A finance student might head toward banking, an engineer toward a design firm, but for us it’s more open-ended. That flexibility is one of the best things about CLAS, but it also makes it harder for an event like the Career Fair to feel directly useful.
Scrolling through the list of
employers this year, the trend was pretty clear. There were banks, consulting firms, tech companies and engineering giants. For someone looking at communications, nonprofits, law or policy work, the options were much less expansive. I can walk around, chat with recruiters and hand over my resume, but more often than not it feels like I’m trying to fit myself into a mold that wasn’t designed for me. That doesn’t mean no CLAS students get value out of it.
“It was a bit overwhelming at first,” sophomore Sophia Graziano said. “But it definitely helped me understand what’s out there to prepare for life after college.”
And that’s true: the fair can be helpful just as a way to see the scale of opportunities and practice talking to employers. I don’t want to dismiss that. But at the same time, the difference in how meaningful the event feels depending on your major is hard to miss.
I don’t think Villanova is ignoring CLAS students, and I don’t think the Career Center is failing. The reality is just that it’s easier to recruit for certain fields. It’s not surprising that financial services and engineering dominate the lineup.
The Career Fair isn’t a waste. I’ll probably keep going, because there’s always the chance I’ll find something unexpected. It clearly works for a lot of students, and I respect that. But for me, and for a lot of arts and sciences
majors I know, it just doesn’t land the same way and I usually leave feeling a little disappointed. Maybe that’s the reality of attending a college where some majors line up neatly with industries and others don’t. After all, my peers studying things like accounting, finance, or mechanical engineering, to name a few, can quickly identify employ -
ers looking for students with their exact backgrounds. Still, it would be nice if Villanova found a way to make the Career Fair feel like more than just an obligation for CLAS students like myself. Right now, it’s simply an event I go to each year because I feel like I should, not because I really expect to find something for me.
YikYak serves as a forum for students to share their experiences and opinions. Zoe Schack/Villanovan Photography
The Career Fair hosts hundreds of employers annually. Courtesy of @Villanovau on Instagram
Villanova’s Add-Drop Should Be Longer
Massimo DiLeo Staff Writer
Each semester, Villanova students enter new classrooms with new professors eager to see how things play out. There’s a palpable sense of hope around campus. Students are eager to get to their classes and see if what they signed up for meets their expectations, setting them up for a successful semester. However, sometimes students experience the opposite. They walk in, and the class or professor is completely different than what they expected. However, by the time they realize this and go online to register for a new course, it is too late. It is already the second week of classes, and the add/ drop period has come and gone.
Many reading this article may be thinking: the second week of classes is only five days into the semester, so they should be able to drop the class. However, this isn’t the case at Villanova. Students are only given the first week of classes to decide whether or not they wish to add or drop any of the classes they registered for the semester before.
While some may believe that one week is more than enough time to decide, many students take classes that only meet twice a week, giving them little time to decide. In addition, the first day of a new class is notorious for spending the majority of the allotted time
Julianna Burke Staff Writer
“I am so tired.” “It is so hot outside.” “I need it to be Friday.” “This day is endless.”
on going over the syllabus, class guidelines and grading policies for the semester. As a result, students essentially have one class meeting to decide whether or not the class is worth staying in if the class meets twice a week.
While the withdrawal, or W/X, period allows a student to leave a class shortly after the midterm if they believe their current grade will have a negative impact on their GPA, they will lose the credit hours allotted to that course, as well. So, if a student is taking the minimum of 15 credit hours this semester, they would be knocked down to 12, which may set someone off-track.
Although an extra week may give students more time to decide, many believe that it isn’t necessary. One of the most significant counters to this proposal is that if a student chose to drop a class at the end of the second week, the class they would join instead may be too far ahead in the curriculum for a student to catch up. This is particularly relevant in classes that meet three days a week because a student could miss six classes before joining if the drop-add period were extended one week. Even though that is true, a semester is generally 14 weeks of class, so if the add-drop period were extended, hopefully professors would
be able to modify the curriculum slightly to accommodate students leaving and joining during the second week.
Extending the add-dropperiod by one week would offer students a more reasonable window to make decisions about their schedules without significantly disrupting classroom progress. While concerns about falling behind are valid, they can be addressed through slight adjustments in course pacing and greater flexibility during the early weeks of the semester. One extra week could make a multitude of differences in helping students feel confident and comfortable with their schedules.
The High Cost Of “Cheap Talk”
of love and friendship become the prelude to genuine bonds? When did words lose their weight? The superficiality of such public affirmations often masks a deeper disconnect, the very essence of our campus conversation problem.
These words are familiar, mundane, almost automatic and resound throughout Villanova’s shared campus spaces. Beneath the surface of these seemingly innocent complaints lies a deeper issue, namely that even on the most beautiful days, when the sun shines and the world feels vibrant, negativity and superficiality still dominate our conversations. I call these “cheap” sayings. They are short, dismissive and often devoid of genuine meaning, despite the hefty “tax” they take on our relationships and mental well-being.
These trivialities that fill our modern discourse drain our energy and “cheapen” our connections. They serve little purpose beyond filling silence, and are their own form of avoidance of authentic engagement. This, I believe, is the greatest conversation problem plaguing our campus and, increasingly, our generation at-large: we are so obsessed with “connecting,” that we have forgotten how to truly talk to one another.
This dilemma doesn’t confine itself to our face-to-face interactions but extends into the digital realm, where social media platforms like Instagram are filled with hollow affirmations of “I love you” and “You’re the best” posted on images of acquaintances we don’t know the middle names of.
When did proclamations
I don’t mean to paint this as solely a campus-specific problem. In my opinion, it’s a generational crisis. According to a recent report in The New York Post, 74 percent of employees struggle with talking to coworkers casually.
The rise of hybrid work models and automated messaging systems has replaced what was once lively “office chitchat” with sterile, impersonal, and often automated exchanges. As a result, many conversations revolve around complaints, the weather or how little sleep we had, all trivialities that do little to foster genuine connection or understanding.
This decline in authentic conversation feeds a cycle of superficiality, fueling loneliness and disconnection even in crowded rooms and online feeds. It’s a paradox of modern life: we are more “connected” than ever, yet many feel more isolated than ever before. The solution isn’t to eliminate social media or cease casual conversations but to elevate them, prioritizing authenticity over superficiality.
Ironically, I’ve spent the bulk of this editorial criticizing our culture of superficial complaints and meaningless chatter. To avoid sanctimonious preaching, let me suggest a few ways we can begin to repair this broken dialogue.
First, we must become mindful of the “cheap” talk we accept and propagate daily. Are we gossiping
simply to pass the time? Agreeing just to avoid confrontation or silence? And perhaps most importantly, are we willing to confront whether silence is worse than the risk of authenticity?
If your answer to any of the first questions is “yes,” and to the last question “no,” then it’s time to reevaluate the true cost of our casual conversations. We need to “add tax” in order to invest genuine effort into our interactions rather than letting superficiality become the currency of our social exchanges.
Moving beyond surface-level interactions isn’t just a personal benefit. It is vital for our professional lives as well. In an age where credentials are plentiful and competition fierce, the ability to hold a genuine, engaging conversation is increasingly rare and as a result, increasingly valuable.
Employers don’t just look for degrees, activities, and certifications. They look for authenticity, communication skills and the capacity to connect meaningfully with colleagues and clients alike. We live in a time where it is both simultaneously easier and harder than ever to impress. Utilize conversational quality to your advantage.
In the end, reclaiming meaningful dialogue requires intention. It demands that we resist the urge to fill our “awkward” minutes with hollow platitudes or fleeting likes, but rather cultivate relationships through careful deliberation. Let’s recognize the true cost of our “cheap” discourse and commit to a higher standard, both on campus and beyond. Our relationships, personal wellbeing and professional futures depend on it.
The Add-Drop period for undergrads allows students to change their schedules during the first week of school.
Courtesy of @Villanovau on Instagram
Across campus, Villanovans discuss everything from the weather to their workloads. Courtesy of @Villanovauw on Instagram
CULTURE
The Camden 28: Local Resistance Story Comes To Campus
Cali Carss Co-Culture Editor
The 1960s in America produced many social icons, people who led movements and made speeches that still reverberate in classrooms today. However, not everyone who engaged in demonstrations is widely recognized for their resistance. These activists can teach us an important lesson about our capability to stand up for what we believe in.
On Wednesday, Sept. 17, the Mullen Center is hosting a screening of The Camden 28, a documentary chronicling the actions of a group of activists who, in 1971, broke into a draft board and destroyed draft cards in Camden, NJ, less than 20 miles from Villanova. The film, directed by Villanova alum Anthony Giacchino, follows the story of their actions and the trial that followed.
This moment of opposition was instrumental to the history of the Catholic Left and their rhetoric of nonviolent protest. The 28 activists were pursued for months by the Nixon administration and the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover, but were ultimately acquitted entirely of their crimes.
“They were creative about their resistance,” Giacchino said. “I think part of that came from that they felt like nothing else worked, not writing letters, not marching. So, they sort of took it up a notch. But they were always nonviolent, and that’s really important.”
Giacchino will be at the event, accompanied by history professor and author of Spiritual Criminals: How the Camden 28 Put the Vietnam War on Trial, Michelle Nickerson.
Inspired by seeing the documentary, Nickerson wrote her book about this event using the same resources which powered the documentary. Both leaned heavily on oral histories from the Camden 28 themselves.
“It was transformative,” Nickerson said. “The best part of the process was having my various expectations defied by hearing their stories. … I didn’t just learn new things about the event, but learned really what it meant to them and how they changed as a result of this.”
The Camden 28 was a 10-year project Giacchino began while he was working at the History Channel. However, this story was a completely individual pursuit. He and his colleagues raised money and toiled over this documentary together, telling the story of an event he calls his obsession as faithfully as possible.
“I really wanted to do something on my own,” Giacchino said of the origin of the project. “I also knew that it was not the type of film, or at least the way I wanted to do it, was not the kind of film they would show on the History Channel.”
This project stemmed from a conversation Giacchino had with Father Michael Doyle, one of the original 28. The entire film prioritizes their personal stories.
“I remember I spent an afternoon with him and he told me the whole story and it was just incredible,” Giacchino said.
The 28 weren’t all that happy to talk with him about their story.
“Anybody who makes a decision to break into a federal building to destroy records, that is a very strong personality,” Giacchino said. “You’re not going to have someone do that
who doesn’t have big ideas and opinions.”
This personal element was equally important for Nickerson as she converted all the research and stories the film had been built on into a book. While this event is a screening of the film, the book is no less important of a resource to understanding this local history. Nickerson sifted through not only archival documents, but thousands of pages of official court transcripts from the trial as she reconstructed this crucial moment and its significance to anti-war movements throughout history.
“They were their own lawyers,” Nickerson said. “… So it made for an unforgettable defense, an unconventional trial, one for the ages.”
She is hoping to discuss not only these events and her research on them, but to have a broader conversation after the screening about nonviolence and what this moment and trial can mean in our current political
context.
There is a wealth of lessons to learn from these resources and from Giacchino and Nickerson themselves, both of whom will speak at the event on Sept. 17. They hope students will take away some of the things the Camden 28 has taught them, and a few more they have learned for themselves along the way.
“Number one [lesson] is that history is amazing,” Giacchino said. “The other thing is to just pay attention to local stories around you, I mean this is a very local story that played out against the background of national and world events.”
Nickerson has a very similar hope for the students who attend the screening.
“What I want [students] to know is this: you’re here at Villanova on the Main Line,” Nickerson said. “This is where it all happened. This is your story.”
VillaVogue: A Look Into Fashion In Florence
Ciara Dursee Co-Digital Editor
VillaVogue, you’ve been missed. If it’s your first time reading, benvenuta. This column will hopefully open your eyes to new fashion trends around campus, and now globally. If you’re a loyal follower coming back for more during the 2025-26 school year, bentornato.
This semester, I have the privilege of studying in Florence, Italy. With the opportunity to explore new cultures comes the advantage of witnessing the unique fashion each location I visit has to offer.
If you’ve been here since the beginning of my VillaVogue adventure, you’ve read my love letter to Italy. “Sprezzatura” was the main focus of that note, expressing the powerful quality of Italian fashion put into simple terms: “effortless beauty.”
My short experience in Italy so far has led me to observe many people casually walking into a cafe or sitting for dinner dressed in a way that looks so easy to put together, yet so chic.
Back on Villanova’s campus, wearing a sweatshirt to class was an everyday feat. In Florence, even students dress with intention. Every outfit is coordinated perfectly, dolled up with accessories and matching elegant shoes. The seemingly effortlessness of
it all baffled me.
After spending a week in Florence more than a year ago and now living in the heart of the small, bustling city, I have found that this description irrefutably stands true.
However, I want to expand on this claim. While it may seem effortless, for most people, having style is the opposite.
I read an article recently discussing the claim that effortlessness in fashion is an “illusion.” Ultimately, this concept of sprezzatura is a myth; style takes time and work.
Few things come naturally for me. No matter the hobby or the subject in school, to prevail means the need to work for it and the desire to achieve it. I always put in at least an ounce of consideration to what I’m putting on. For me, it’s a fun game to play: building an outfit, pairing denim with a blouse of my liking, finishing it off with a pair of boots I found deep in my closet and being satisfied with the result. I’m not naturally stylish, nor will I ever be, and I’m okay with that.
Clothing trends are on a constant rotation. A simple scroll through TikTok could find you a viral workout set and the next minute a musthave maxi skirt. To be described as “trendy” and “stylish” lie at opposite sides of the spectrum.
It takes effort to cultivate your personal taste and develop an understanding for what you feel comfortable in. As funny as it may sound, it takes effort to look effortless.
Living in a major city for the first time, navigating through a foreign country and balling on a tight budget have given me the privilege to put more care into what I purchase.
Thus far, I’ve expanded the thought I put into every piece of jewelry I’ve bought at a small market and to a pair of Italian ballet flats I couldn’t find anywhere else.
So maybe, then, effortless style is an illusion. It may seem like a simple task, but in reality it is a detailed hobby.
Minimalism is a welcome hack. For example, a capsule wardrobe of reliable jeans in multiple shades, your favorite basic tees and tanks, and a few pairs of shoes that work for most occasions that you can dress up or down. This semester, I’ll be visiting the Sant’Ambrogio market for affordable and unique pieces to authenticate my wardrobe.
Independence is crucial. Find the pieces that match your personality and the trends that speak to you. Finding your personal style is an important aspect that will give your fashion journey a far more compelling result.
Maybe the best way to describe Italian fashion is not “Sprezzatura,” but instead “La Bella Figura.” This is an Italian phrase that translates to “the beautiful figure,” often used to describe a person who presents themselves in a positive, elegant manner in both appearance and behavior.
From vintage shops to outdoor leather markets, I’ll continue to explore the unlimited beauties of Florence and how true style is not about perfection – it’s about intention.
The screening will take place in the Topper Theatre at the Mullen Center. Brian Luppy/Villanovan Photography
Long skirts and tank tops are ‘in’ in Tuscany. Brooke Ackerman/Villanovan Photography
The Origin Story: DOS Celebrates 20 Years
Brooke Ackerman Co-Editor-In-Chief
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the University, with all logistical and site partnership decisions coming from the President’s office.
However, with service being at the center of Villanova’s Augustinian values, Assistant Vice President of Presidential Events and University Initiatives, Chrissy Quisenberry, saw an opportunity for students to become more involved.
“Quite frankly, I’m student-centered,” Quisenberry said. “The work I do here is to make Villanova better for the students… so from the very beginning, we wanted the students to be a major part of the [Day of Service] planning.”
The other benefit to getting students involved is what Quisenberry referred to as a “buy in.”
“If it’s planned by them, then they’re getting their friends to participate,” she said. “And when you participate in something, you learn from it. I hope that the students take that with them… being able to plan something so big and see it all come together.”
The committee, which is now composed of 40 students, as
well as 11 others who are on the director’s board, comes together with University staff and faculty members to work towards the logistical aspects of the Day of Service.
“Normally, I would have to be up here making sure I understood what the sites were and what their needs were,” Director of University Events and Initiatives, Nick Tumolo, said. “But now, students
happened,” Fr. Peter said. “And now it’s turned into a family thing…they bring their kids [to sites near them], they’ll send pictures of them with their Villanova shirts on in a soup kitchen someplace, or their Vs up in downtown Toledo.”
While alumni networks afford Villanovans the opportunity to serve their communities across the country, Day of Service committee members are using the 20th anniversary as an opportunity to bring alumni back to where it all started: Villanova.
“We’ve created a whole weekend that these former student leaders can be a part of to celebrate the 20 years and what they’ve created over [those] 20 years,” Quisenberry said.
With alumni returning and this being the largest Day of Service yet, the students and faculty are placing even more of an emphasis this year on the concept of intentionality. They are broadcasting why they serve and what it means.
“We’re all there because we
have taken on that role of knowing their site. They know who all of these partners are, they’re very intentional about the work that’s being done and making sure that we’re fulfilling the needs of the site through our volunteers.”
Beyond knowing the ins and outs of every site, student committee members have also put alumni outreach at the forefront of Day of Service. By doing so, they help Villanovans across the country to honor and continue the work they did in their undergraduate years.
Villanova has 21 alumni networks across 14 states, all of which partake in community service in some capacity.
“Twenty years later, there’s many [alumni] that actually participated in the real event because they were students here
we are Villanovans, and because this is something that’s important to us as Villanovans,” Tumolo said.
But more than anything, Day of Service isn’t intended to be just one day. The hope is that Villanovans are learning about the sites they serve, the areas they are volunteering in and, most importantly, taking something away from those lessons they have learned.
“You should [be going to sites saying] I want to learn about you,” Fr. Peter said. “I want to learn about what your situation is. ‘How can I enter into your world and see the world through a very different set of eyes? How can I help you accomplish something that you want to accomplish? It’s not about what I’m going to give you, but what I’m going to get by getting to know you.’”
Students reflect on their Day of Service after returning to campus. Courtesy of Maddie O’Meara
Lauren Armstrong Associate EIC
Students gather at the Villanova Football Staduim prior to going to their service sites.
Courtesy of Maddie O’Meara
University President Fr. Peter addresses Villanova community during DOS send off. Courtesy of Maddie O’Meara
Ins And Outs: Behind The Scenes Of Day Of Service
Sophie Latessa Co-Culture Editor
When most of us think of Day of Service, we think of just that: a day. A September morning where we gather and go out into the community, hoping to make someone’s day a little brighter and contribute to something bigger than ourselves. It’s an annual staple on campus, and more than 4,000 students are currently signed up to participate in Day of Service next Saturday Sept. 20. But for the Day of Service Directors, the event is far more than just one day.
Unbeknownst to most Day of Service volunteers, the event is a months-long process that has been meticulously planned behind the scenes. Countless hours have gone into every detail from what bus they ride on to the bucket of paint they use at their service site.
Day of Service Chair Victoria Diaz has given her all to overseeing the planning of this event. She spends two to three hours a day on average doing work for Day of Service, but she gives much of the credit for its execution to the Day of Service Committee.
“This has been a full team effort,” Diaz said. “The Day of Service Committee is about 50 people. It has been all hands on deck, everyone has given so much time and energy and effort into making this such an impactful day.”
Rica Monaghan, Transportation Director for Day of Service, works organizing bus and van rentals, as well as mapping out which vehicles will be used to get to each service site. She communicates directly with a bus company, arranging 85 buses for this year’s event along with at least 20 vans.
“It’s really up to us to make sure everything is up and running,” Monaghan said. “We don’t want anything to be delayed because the service sites are waiting for us and if anything were to be delayed, we wouldn’t be able to get out and provide this amazing service that we have been able to do for the past 19 years.”
Monaghan is currently busy
matching transportation to each site depending on the number of volunteers going there; she even arranges for multiple groups to share buses for sites that are close together. On Day of Service, she is in charge of checkin for buses and will need to map out the positions of all the vehicles on campus to make sure every group gets in the right bus or van.
Many of the bus drivers who drive volunteers come back to help with Day of Service year-after-year, a personal detail that is not overlooked.
“We’re celebrating 20 years of partnership with some of our service sites, but we have 20 years of partnership with some of our bus drivers as well, which is really cool,” Monaghan said.
Celebrating 20 years also means making updates to the planning process. Ella O’Shea, Supply Co-Director, is in charge of sending out a supply form to all the service sites and working with Lowe’s to purchase the products the sites need. This year, O’Shea’s goal was to improve the supply form in order to increase efficiency, and by the summer the new and improved form was ready to send out to registered service sites and partners. After determining the supply needs for the service locations, Lowe’s delivers the materials to an on-campus pickup spot near the Commons where the sites come to get their orders.
“We have all the orders printed out and we have people essentially go grocery shopping in the tent and go around and pick up everything that the site needed and organize it on a table for them to come pick up,” O’Shea said.
O’Shea and her co-director started meeting with their contact at Lowe’s in the spring to secure these supplies; including wheelbarrows, shovels, gardening tools, cleaning supplies, paint and more. Sites also have the option to add additional, more unique supplies on the form.
“The biggest thing in this role is just being proactive and problem-solving,” O’Shea said. “Getting ahead of issues just makes it run as smooth as possible. That’s why I was so adamant about working on the supply form, just to make things as
efficient as possible because we’re working with so many people.”
Starting in January, all of the directors began the planning process, working through the spring and summer on collecting supply inventory as well as site registration and more. Kate Hamel is the Senior Director of Service Sites and Partnerships, a new position this year with a primary focus on emphasizing the partnerships with service sites that have been forged over the last 20 years.
There are 108 off-campus sites registered for Day of Service this year, Hamel and her two junior directors started with a list of 170 sites that have consistently participated in the past. New sites can also be added when they reach out, and this year marks the first time Day of Service will include on-campus sites. These include repainting the mural on South Campus, building chairs for Habitat for Humanity and making sandwiches for site partners.
Once the list of sites is finalized, they are divided between 15 service site captains and eventually matched with groups of volunteers.
“Later tonight they will print out little slips of paper that have each group and how many volunteers are with their group and then also different colored pieces of paper with each site and how many volunteers they can accommodate,” Hamel said of the process. “Then we lay them all out and we spend the whole day basically playing matching.”
One of Hamel’s passion projects this year was organizing 20 site visits for the Day of Service Committee so they could see the direct impact of their work and further the idea of partnership with service sites.
“It’s hard to see when you’re painting a bathroom of a school how that’s going to impact the kids next week, but hearing from the principal of the school telling you how important it is for these kids to have an organized and safe place to go every day, you can actually see that connection,” Hamel said.
She also worked to create a faculty and staff catalog, further engaging them and their families in
Day of Service. The catalog includes asynchronous resources, as well as sites they can volunteer at with their department or with their kids. Hamel made sure to make all the sites family friendly.
With so many pieces that need to fall into place, every little detail counts. No one knows this better than Diaz.
“There’s about a million todo lists that I have on so many different platforms,” Diaz said. “I’ll be sitting in class one day and I’ll be like ‘Wait, do we have enough paint?’ or ‘Did we answer that email?’”
Diaz’s many responsibilities range from answering emails and communicating with group leaders to making sure volunteer t-shirts arrive in time to be sorted. She and the rest of the committee have worked for months to make the day happen, but for Diaz, who grew up very community service-oriented, it is all worth it.
“I genuinely very much care about the day and what we’re doing and this commitment that we’ve made to these partners that there’s going to be volunteers going out on the 20th and serving their community,” Diaz said. “I definitely put so much time and energy into making sure that every single note that I write down, every single last minute thought is addressed or at least talked about.”
Though the planning process is rigorous, the day acts as a celebration of a great deal of hard work and the values Villanova stands for.
“I think it is the most tangible expression of our school’s values,” Hamel said. “We talk a lot about ‘veritas, unitas, caritas’ and I feel like those words are thrown around in a lot of our endeavors as a school, but when you are actually engaging in your community…I feel like if anything is unity and love from this campus it’s that.”
Nine months of time and effort will culminate on Saturday, when more than half the student body is signed up to serve the greater Philadelphia community. Volunteers will join the mission of service the committee believes in so deeply, and every hour of work will have been worthwhile.
The student directors with Nick Tumolo and Chrissy Quisenberry, President’s Office faculty. Lauren Armstrong/Villanovan Photography
The supply tent where service sites pick up their materials for Day of Service. Courtesy of Maddie O’Meara
Letters From Lauren: So, You Didn’t Get A Mug…
Lauren Armstrong Associate EIC
Dear Mugless Seniors,
I see you. I hear you. I feel you and, I am you. It will be okay.
The last conversation I had with a dear friend of mine before she graduated this past May ended with the wise words: “Make sure you get a mug.” So, like many of you, on Aug. 27 I stood in the long line on Lancaster Ave. with my $100 in cash ready to buy this coveted piece of metal.
Yet, as I stood with my eyes on the Kelly’s Tap Room glass doors, the owners came outside and said the most tragic words a group of Villanova seniors can hear: “We are out of mugs.” Heartbroken, my friends and I returned home to campus empty handed. That night, as I laid in bed, I clicked through what felt like hundreds of Instagram and Snapchat stories of classmates, roommates and strangers all at the same place: Kelly’s.
And, hey, while it — for lack of a better word — sucks not owning a mug, and having to scout one out if I want to attend is no fun, I decided one thing: I refuse to not have a fun time with friends on Wednesday nights, especially if they are not being spent at Mug Night. So, I started to brainstorm with my other mugless seniors, and we came up with a list of alternative ways to still have a good time on these
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tradition of reflection, the VU community gathered at the Riley Ellipse for a memorial from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday. The memorial was organized by the Matthew J. Ryan Center for the Study of Free Institutions and the Public Good, whose mission is to support honest and rigorous discussion about political liberty and the public good. The day-long memorial brought that mission to life in a powerful way, encouraging students to pause and reflect on how the events of 9/11 continue to shape our understanding of freedom, responsibility and the common good.
Student President of the Ryan Center, Nicholas Shapkarov, had very specific intentions to express with this memorial.
“We wanted to honor the victims of the attacks and the first responders that heroically risked and sacrificed their lives to save others,” Shapkarov said. “We collaborated with the Veterans Center to plant the flags and are hoping to make the flag planting an annual tradition from here on out.”
The Ryan Center is planning on making the memorial an annual event held in honor of the victims of 9/11.
“Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the attacks,” Shap -
nights.
One: get your own mugs. No, I do not mean going on Etsy and trying to get someone to replicate the metal barrels from Kelly’s. Instead, head to a craft store or thrift store, get some plain white mugs and paint pens and decorate your own mugs for at home usage. Each week, while your roommate gets dressed and ready to go out, you get the privilege of surrounding yourself with friends, in comfy clothes and holding a mug you got to personalize.
Two: pick a craft. When I walked into my 8:30 a.m. class last Thursday after asking my friend how her mug night was, she asked
me what I spent my night doing. My answer: I made felt crowns with my friend, Jenna, and it was awesome. Whether it be a paint and sip night or learning how to do needlepoint, there are a million different crafts to try out.
Three: TV/movie nights. A classic. And, since we live in a time with a multitude of streaming services there is always something available to watch. From shows such as The Summer I Turned Pretty and My Life with The Walter Boys to movies like Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire (the best one) and Good Will Hunting, there are many options no matter the time of year and what mood you want to be in.
Never Forget: 9/11 Memorial
karov said. “It will also coincide with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the nation. We are hoping to do something much more substantial one year from now, that will have a much larger impact on the campus community.”
Many students deeply appreciated the memorial and the space it gave them to remember. Moments of silence and reflection are exactly what the memorial aimed to inspire. By deliberately pausing amidst the bustle of daily collegiate life, we honor the memory of those lost and reflect on the unity and resilience that emerged in the face of this tragedy.
“Being from New York, I grew up commemorating 9/11 every year since I was a little kid,” sophomore Kayleigh Murray said. “So it really touched me to see how Villanova honored our fallen on this special day for our country. I stopped on my way to class to take a moment of silence and look at the flags they had. … Villanova did a great job honoring the fallen and those who are gone but never forgotten.”
Students throughout the day shared similar experiences, pausing between classes and obligations to quietly reflect. The events of Sept. 11, 2001 continue to resonate with our nation more than two decades later. For those who grew up in New York or had family members directly affected, Villanova’s commemorative efforts offer a unique way to connect personal history with collective
Four: game nights. Another classic. There are many ways you and your friends can go about a game night. From playing cards and poker to the new Survivor card game, customized Heads-Up with pictures of your friend group or even to deeper and more meaningful conversations through games like “We’re Not Really Strangers,” game nights are great ways to spend time together, and to see who your most competitive friends truly are.
Five: Grog trivia. While you may not have a mug, if you are 21 or older there are other options for you on the Main Line. My favorite of these options is Grog trivia. Get a group of friends together and head down towards Bryn Mawr for some friendly competition. The nicest part of this? It begins even earlier than mug night, so your team can consist of both people who will and won’t be heading to Kelly’s afterwards. This is a great way to still get to be present and spend time with all your friends, regardless of mug-status.
While it may seem like the end of the world to not be a member of the “Kelly’s Mug Night Club,” there are plenty of other ways to still have an enjoyable Wednesday night. Take the chance to try new things, enjoy new forms of media, go new places and, hey, I’m sure if none of these appeal to you, you can find someone who has a mug you can borrow.
With Love Always, Lauren
remembrance.
“I’m honored to be part of a community that recognizes the horror of 9/11, and reflects on the light of those lost on that terrible day,” sophomore Nicholas DeRosa shared. “This day has always been close to my heart because of a family member who was killed in the World Trade Center. I believe that all of us can carry the spirit of their memories by sharing joy and hope to all those we encounter.”
Villanova remains deeply committed to remembering this dark chapter in our nation’s history. Through remembrance and reflection, we keep the memory of those we lost alive and actively work towards a better future. Through unity, we combat evil. University events such as remembrance masses, a speaker series, library exhibits and the day-long memorial organized by the Ryan Center ensure that we will never forget.
Grab your mugless friends and spend your Wednesday nights doing a craft.
Lauren Armstrong/Villanovan Photography
Scarlet Shafie Staff Writer
The stained glass window in Corr Hall Chapel honoring 15 Villanova alumni lost on 9/11. Scarlet Shafie/Villanovan Photography
Teach-In On Palestine: First Installment In Semester Series
Margaret Miller Staff Writer
Last Tuesday, the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies hosted a “Palestine 101” teach-in for the campus community to attend. The event was led by associate history professors Dr. Hibba Abugideiri and Dr. Elizabeth Kolsky in Driscoll Hall.
This event occurred approximately 700 days after the crisis in the Gaza Strip began.
“Palestine 101” served as the first department teach-in of the year. This speaker presentation is a part of a series that began two years ago after the conflict between Israel and Palestine began on Oct. 7, 2023. Kolsky began the event by sharing information on the overall series and its purpose.
“We’ve had a big outpouring of support from the community and over the past two years we’ve held monthly teach-ins, at least one or two which are intended to educate the community about the situation in Gaza by centering Palestinian perspectives,” Kolsky said.
Before delving into the presentation, Dr. Kolsky handed out an infographic indicating statistics of the conflict in Gaza. She pointed out the facts she found most significant.
“As of September 3rd when this impact snapshot was published, as you can see there were 630,746 Palestinians killed and 161,245 people injured,” Kolsky said. “Currently 100% of the population in Gaza is
suffering from varying levels of food insecurity. We know that 685,000 children in Gaza are out of school for a third year in a row due to war and to the fact that 90% of schools in Gaza are either damaged or destroyed.”
The primary theme of this talk was the danger of erasure. Abugideiri shared that the presentation was also focused on the teachings of Palestinian scholar Edward Said.
“Given this criminalization of Palestinian protests and support in the U.S., we are using the wise wisdom and guidance of the Palestinian scholar Edward Said by framing this teach-in from the standpoint of Palestinians as Zionism’s unrecognized victim,” Abugideiri said.
Abugidieri went on to further describe the topic of erasure and what it means in the context of the Israel-Palestine crisis.
“[Erasure] is waged on several fronts simultaneously in order to be effective,” Abugidieri said.
The four fronts selected to focus on for the presentation were history, land, culture and media, specifically chosen by Abugidieri.
She shared the significance of selecting these particular fonts.
“Because together they give individuals an understanding of just how systemic, calculating and deliberate Palestinian erasure is to Zionism as a settler colonial project and Israel as a settler colonial state,” Abugidieri said.
Kolsky began by discussing
the “history” font. She utilized the book Silencing the Past by Michel-Rolph Trouillot as her reference. Kolsky described that this author focuses specifically on silences in the historical narrative and tools to help historians produce history in a different way. Kolsky drew attention to important facts in what she referred to as the “silenced past” of Palestine. “One of the things I am going to do in this section is a very brief and fast moving review of a silenced past,” Kolsky said. “And I’m beginning with the idea that this conflict did not begin on October 7th and that the silenced past is what enables the common perception that this did begin on October 7th.”
Kolsky then discussed European Christian Semitism, which she views as the catalyst for Jewish nationalism or Zionism. The belief of Zionism is the idea that Jewish individuals should have their own state. She then discussed settler colonialism, a form of colonialism in which people claim land and replace one group with another.
Abugideiri then spoke on the subject of “land” as it pertains to Palestinian erasure, discussing critical events in the history of Palestine. She explained how the Israeli state was established, during the Israeli War for independence. However, this is referred to in Palestine as the “Nakba” where hundreds of villages were ethnically cleansed, and 1.5 million acres of Palestinian land was lost.
Abugideiri further discussed
how “Nakba” impacted the Palestinian people.
“The first of many systematic campaigns of depopulation where Palestinians were ethnically cleansed and their lands purged of Palestinian history and even Palestinian names,” Abugideiri said.
Abugideiri then emphasized the importance of the “war of culture.”
“The destruction of Palestinian cultural sites is a piece of the destruction of the Palestinian people,” Abugideiri said.
The speaker also described that not only have museums, cultural sites and pieces of cultural significance been destroyed, but artists have also been killed during this conflict.
Finally, Abugideiri touched on the erasure of Palestinians in the media. She showcased several headlines from The New York Times, of which she says serve to distort the crisis, even denying Palestinians of “personhood.”
“Nowhere do we see Palestinian trauma, perspectives, humanity or victimhood featured, explained, or depicted as worthy of our sympathy or empathy,” Abugideiri said. “Palestinian voices are not simply absent, they are silenced.”
By discussing different aspects of Palestinian erasure throughout the current Israel Palestine conflict and beyond, Abugideiri and Kolsky aimed to “center and restore Palestinians their ongoing trauma and victimization and their humanity back to the historical record.”
Writing In The Age Of AI: Villanova Professors Weigh In
Zoe Manning Staff Writer
On Tuesday, Sept. 9, a roundtable discussion titled “Who Writes Better: Robots or Me?” was hosted by the Department of English in Falvey Library. Its goal was to examine the role of artificial intelligence in higher education.
The panel brought together four faculty members: Kimberly Takahata, Mary Beth Simmons, Stefan Perun and Lauren Shohet. The conversation centered on whether AI tools, such as ChatGPT, help or hinder student learning, creativity and critical thinking.
The event was facilitated by English professor Megan Quigley, who introduced the panel and framed the discussion around the challenges and possibilities of writing in an era where AI is often used to generate text. Her remarks set the stage for the discussion’s central question: what happens to learning, creativity and critical thinking when students have access to tools like ChatGPT?
Takahata shared results from her work with her sections of ENG1975, the required English course within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In a final assignment, students were given an open-ended, thesis-driven writing prompt, which they then ran through ChatGPT. Their task was to reflect on the process, evaluate what the AI output achieved and even grade it as if they were the instructor.
Takahata explained that she was curious about how students
would respond and what they valued in writing. When she presented the grade distribution, which included results from approximately 75 students, the scores that students assigned to the AI output had shifted into the B+/Arange. She declined to interpret the results herself, noting instead that she was interested in students’ own evaluations and left the audience to consider her closing question: “Where does this leave us as we navigate this strange thinking landscape?”
Simmons spoke with optimism about her students’ desire to write.
“You’re going to love this class so much, you’re going to do your own damn writing,” she said of her message to her students.
In her classes, Simmons feeds her own prompts into ChatGPT and analyzes the outputs along with her students. They often critique the responses for lacking “voice,” which creates conversations about why their own perspectives matter. She also reminded attendees of the joy of owning one’s own work, recalling a friend’s stepdaughter’s proud declaration: “I love my brain.”
Perun presented research suggesting that AI’s impact on learning may be an illusion. He shared a study of 1,000 high school algebra students in Turkey, which compared outcomes across several groups. In the control group, where students had no access to AI during practice or exams, scores were slightly higher on the final test. Another group that was free to use GPT showed improvement in scores during practice sessions, but saw their learning and performance signifi-
cantly decrease once the tool was removed, even though they reported feeling confident and claimed they understood the material.
“I have not seen anything that convinces me that AI is helpful for learning… mostly it’s a mirage,” Perun said.
Shohet highlighted AI’s advantages, pointing to its role in pattern detection, its “hyper-juiced clerical capacity” and even its ability to act as the holder of “common sense.” She explained that the tools can help writers notice overused phrases, spot terms left undefined and make large datasets more accessible. At the same time, she acknowledged its limitations. AI is explicitly designed to reproduce what is already known. It can be difficult to evaluate its results, and it often encourages a kind of “intellectual sloth.” For her, the danger lies in settling for something that appears to
be polished and complete, but lacks depth.
During the Q&A portion, students and other faculty pressed the panel on AI’s effect on creativity and authenticity. Some noted that ChatGPT’s explanations misplaced key plot points, demonstrating the need for independent brainstorming and writing. Others worried about the tone of AI-produced work, which can sound unnatural. Shohet encouraged students to slow down, draft and revise their writing, instead of using AI’s quick fixes. By the end of the evening, the panel had raised more questions than answers. Is AI helping us learn, or just making things easier? Does it propel us forward or remove the struggle that fosters growth? For now, Villanova faculty agree on one point: writing remains deeply human, and students value the work they create themselves.
The Department of English hosted “Who Writes Better: Robots or Me?” in Falvey Library. Ryan Sarbello/Villanovan Photography
Volleyball Continues Undefeated Season
Sophie Carlin Staff Writer
Villanova volleyball extended its undefeated record to eight games this weekend after defeating Delaware on Saturday, Sept. 13 and Old Dominion on Sunday, Sept. 14. With the wins, the Wildcats have continued their most successful start to the season since 2009.
The Wildcats defeated Delaware in three sets (25-23, 25-12, 25-23).
“Road wins are hard to get at a Division l college,” Steinbach said. “Anytime you beat someone on the road, you want to celebrate that, so everyone was in a pretty good place after the weekend.”
Villanova’s win over Old Dominion (25-19, 25-21, 22-25, 25-14) was part of the Old Dominion Invitational in Norfolk, Virginia, where Villanova had a dominant 58 kills, 12 blocks and 78 points.
“One of the things we’re doing really well is playing with confidence,” head coach Josh Steinbach said. “Both of our outside hitters have really come up big with big swings and we’re in a good place right now.”
Sophomore Campbell McKinnon earned Player of the Match after racking up 13 kills and six blocks on a .706 hitting percentage. This forceful approach gave the Wildcats the boost they
needed to overcome the 22-25 loss in the third set.
“Campbell can really restore order for us offensively when she’s in there,” Steinbach said. “She is kind of unstoppable right now by some teams.”
Sophomore Taylor Lewis also contributed 10 kills and two blocks in the win.
“I thought Taylor Lewis had a great match,” Steinbach said. “She’s a steady offense for us.
She was really good on the right and she knows how to move the ball around. She’s just a precision attacker and found some good places.”
After a disappointing third set, the Wildcats found their way back in the fourth.
“We felt like we didn’t execute very well in the middle set,” Steinbach said. “We just couldn’t quite come back. But we served really well in the fourth and put
a little pressure on them. That’s probably the one thing that made a big difference.”
Other contributions to the dominant performance included senior Abby Harrell’s 12 kills and four aces as well as sophomore Alyssa Nelson’s fifth straight double-double, with 26 assists and 10 digs. These consistent outputs make the team still unbeatable as they still boast an 8-0 record.
“We haven’t talked about being undefeated,” Steinbach said. “We’re just trying to worry about the next match. The talk in the locker room is about preparing for the next match as if it’s the biggest match of the year.”
Several young players also hit career-highs on Sunday, putting the promising future of the team on display. Freshman Reagan McGivern hit a personal record of five kills and freshman Marikate Ritterbusch contributed a career-high five digs.
“Our team is young and I like to let them play through things because I’m confident in them to resolve setbacks,” Steinbach said. “Our coaching staff is really excited about this particular group.”
The Wildcats head to South Dakota on Thursday, Sept. 18 for their next match in hopes of continuing the historic run. Villanova will then face Drake on Friday, Sept. 19 and Wichita State on Saturday, Sept. 20 in the South Dakota Classic.
Women’s Soccer Finishes Non-Conference With Penn Win
Sammie McKee Staff Writer
On Sunday night, the Villanova women’s soccer team halted the University of Pennsylvania’s four-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory at Rhodes Field in Philadelphia, PA.
The Wildcats (5-3) win over Penn (4-1-2) followed up off a hardfought 1-0 loss against Princeton this past Thursday that ended their fourgame win-streak.
“We’re always hunting for three points, which is what in soccer, you get for winning a game,” Villanova head coach Samar Azem said. “And so when we walk away from a Princeton game, or even a Penn game, or whatever game we walk away from, we’re able to go back into the lab and say, ‘Okay, here’s where we’re good, here’s where we can be better.”
The Wildcats’ opportunity to “do better” emerged out of a scoring frenzy late in the first half. The offense was led by one of the Wildcats’ freshest faces, Averie Nelson, a freshman from Dix Hills, New York. Nelson scored two goals, roughly four minutes apart.
Nelson opened the game’s scoresheet in the 32nd minute and scored her second goal in the 36th. She is the first Wildcat to score two goals in a single women’s soccer game this season.
“At any given moment anywhere, between six to seven of our players are in their first year competing for us,” Azem said. “So, our freshmen, our grad transfers and one of our players that was injured last year really have been contributing significantly.”
At the beginning of the first half, neither team controlled possession of the game. Penn saw a few scoring chances as it was unable to convert on any corner kick opportunities. The Wildcats had more prominent chances after earning a penalty kick in the 22nd minute. Sophomore midfielder Amalia Cardo missed the attempt.
The bulk of the scoring took
place shortly after Nelson’s goal in the 32nd minute. Penn retaliated with a goal from Mallory Fuss only a minute after, which was met by a second Nelson goal in the 36th minute. Villanova sophomore Morgan Kotch closed the scoresheet in the 38th minute with her second goal of the season.
Villanova maintained a twogoal lead over Penn at halftime, 3-1.
“Nobody was complacent, nobody felt like the game was over,” Azem said. “Everyone was locked in because they knew the second half was going to be a battle. And it was. It was a big battle.”
The second half of the game remained scoreless as Villanova’s
defense shut out Penn.
This matchup concludes Villanova’s non-conference season. Last year, the Wildcats were one goal away from making the conference tournament. Now the qualification level has changed from the top six teams making it to the tournament to the top four teams qualifying.
“We want to be sharper, better and learn from last year,” Azem said. “Our goal is to finish in the top four in conference play and take that to winning the Big East tournament and going to the NCAA.”
Villanova will match up against Seton Hall University (3-1-4) on Saturday, Sept. 20, in its Big East conference opener at 4 p.m.
The Wildcats are 5-3 on the season after defeating the University of Pennsylvania, 3-1, on the road last Sunday. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics
Catching Up With The ‘Cats: Brian Finneran (‘98)
Dylan Johnson Co-Sports Editor
It was 1998, times were tough, and the future was unclear. Brian Finneran (‘98) was just cut from the Seattle Seahawks after going undrafted in the NFL Draft. He picked up a job at a Southern California air conditioning company to do risk management, working on an Occupational Safety and Health Administration and workers’ compensation.
Finneran, who was named the first receiver to earn the Walter Payton Award at the time, went from shattering Villanova football records to possibly never seeing a field again. His wife, Erin, was working up to three jobs at times alongside him to make ends meet for themselves and their two kids at the time, Conor and Brynn.
“It was just like anything else when you’re kind of dedicated to something and people are counting on you, like my family was,” Finneran said. “You just want to do anything you can to make it right and see if you can make it work. I can’t say it enough, the driving force was my son and daughter, Conor and Brynn.”
He spent an entire year training with Marv Marinovich, one of the NFL’s first strength and conditioning coaches. Finneran spent a few days a week working with Marinovich and his son, Todd Marinovich, a firstround NFL draft pick.
During the day, he was a risk management guy. By night, he was a
Genna Cottingham Sports Columist
Playing a fifth year of college soccer was a non-negotiable for forward Hannah Curtin. Although, at first, she was unsure of what uniform to play in.
After four years at Dartmouth, Curtin decided the best path for her athletic and professional career was entering the transfer portal and pursuing her master’s degree at the Villanova School of Business.
Although she has only been a Wildcat for two months, Curtin has already made her mark on the Big East. Curtin has received two Big East Weekly Honor Roll accolades and hopes to continue her success all the way to postseason play.
“I wasn’t expecting anything,” Curtin said. “It was kind of great to reap the benefits of some of the hard work the team has been doing over the past few weeks. So, [the honors] is as much of a team effort as it is individual.”
Curtin’s determined spirit and elite skill level led her to score a game-winning goal in not one, but two games for Villanova this season. The first took place on Sunday, Aug. 31, when Curtin scored a goal at the 48th minute that overtook Bucknell. On Sunday, Sept. 7, she scored a goal against Lehigh to also seal the victory for the Wildcats.
“She’s a smart, fast, athletic player, and she’s bringing competitive experience,” women’s soccer head coach Samar Azem said. “I think it’s
football guru.
“I got together with those two guys,” Finneran said. “We threw passes and worked out together. And that helped me a lot, [I] put on about 10 or 15 pounds of muscle. It was a lot, but it worked out.”
The dedication paid off. He joined the Barcelona Dragons in the NFL Europe.
His All-Europe season with the Dragons earned him a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999.
The Eagles opened up the season at home against the Arizona Cardinals in front of a massive crowd of 64,113 fans at Veterans Stadium. Philadelphia led Arizona, 24-22, with the ball in its possession. With four minutes left on the clock, the Eagles had a chance to win the game with a couple of first downs.
One of Finneran’s three targets came his way on that drive, and he dropped what could have been a game-sealing reception. Instead, it led to the Cardinals nailing a 31-yard field goal with four seconds on the clock.
“I spent the next few weeks not having very good practices, and I think the coaching staff realized that,” Finneran said. “Andy Reid decided the fifth week of the season [that] they no longer needed my services.”
Again, Finneran was left to find a new opportunity, this time joining the Atlanta Falcons. It was the next and final stop in his playing career. He spent nine seasons with Atlanta, accumulating 3,072 receiving yards, 238 receptions and 19 touch-
downs.
“We were driving back to South Jersey, where we had a little apartment,” Finneran said. “My agent got a call, and the Falcons wanted to sign me to a one-year deal, and so he said, ‘Hell, yeah. Let’s do it.’”
A nine-year career with the Falcons came to an end with Finneran announcing his retirement from the sport in 2011.
His family was not used to this new retirement life.
“My older kids were starting high school, and my younger kids were in elementary school,” Finneran said. “My daughter came home from school one day, and I guess I was just grilling her on homework and how her soccer practice went. I think, at one point, she went over to my wife and was like, ‘Is Dad gonna be home every day?’”
He thought he was bothering everybody. His family had a routine while he was playing football. He was “messing it up.”
With too much free time on his hands, the former professional football player decided to give his newfound time and attention to what he knew best: sports.
“I called a radio station who I had a relationship with and had done a show with previously during my playing time.” Finneran said. “ I signed a six-month deal with 680 The Fan.”
For the last 14 years, he has hosted “The Locker Room” on Atlanta’s 680 The Fan radio station every weekday from 6 to 10 a.m. The show
Wildcat Watch: Hannah Curtin
just the beginning for her. She’s got a couple more months with us. We want to really stretch the season out and see all of our grad transfers really get the best out of their year with us.”
Curtin grew up in Winchester, Massachusetts, and started playing soccer in the first grade. She went on to play for Winchester High School and FC Stars Massachusetts. During her high school career, Curtin also earned a spot on the Second Team Northeast Elite Club National League and Olympic Development Program Region One team.
“I remember my first practice,” Curtin said. “I actually cried before going because I was scared and then right after the practice, I was asking my parents when the next practice was.”
Curtin said she owes a lot
of her skills to her FC Stars Coach Jason Dewhurst and Winchester High School Coach Rick Emanuel.
“I think that’s such an important part of being good at whatever you do, is just loving it and being willing to put in the extra hours,” Curtin said. “I think the club is a huge part of if you want to play in college and make sure you’re on the right team with the right coach who is really aiding your development.”
During her junior year at Winchester, Curtin received an offer she could not refuse, and committed to Dartmouth.
Her career with the Big Green came with a laundry list of accomplishments. Curtin was awarded a spot on the Second Team All-Ivy and the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Soccer Association in 2021. She
WEEKLY SCOREBOARD
Sept. 10 - Sept. 16
Wednesday, September 10
Volleyball @ Temple 3-0 W
Thursday, September 11
Women’s Soccer @ Princeton 0-1 L
Friday, Septmeber 12
Field Hockey vs. La Salle 3-0 W
Saturday, September 13
Men’s Soccer vs. Princeton 0-3 L
Volleyball vs. Delaware 0-3 L #11 Football @ #2 Penn State 6-52 L
Sunday, September 14
Field Hockey @ Hofstra 1-2 L
Volleyball @ Old Dominion 3-1 W
Women’s Soccer @ Penn 3-1 W
covers the Atlanta Braves, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Georgia Bulldogs.
“We entertain the drivers on the morning drive,” Finneran said. Part of my ability to continue to be decent at connecting with the listener, have similar stories. I think people enjoy hearing that stuff and can kind of relate to it. We have a ton of fun.”
started in 28 games and scored 10 goals, and to round out her successes throughout her undergraduate career, Curtin attained 29 points and helped her teammates with nine assists.
Now as a Wildcat, Curtin has played an instrumental role in Villanova holding a 5-3 record so far this season.
“I really want the team to do well in the Big East, and I think we have worked really hard and deserve that,” Curtin said. “That’s my biggest goal right now, just doing all that I can to contribute to that competitive winning culture.”
Curtin is joined by three other fifth-year transfers on the team. Midfielder Kate Dobsch previously played at Wake Forest. Defender Bella Panaccione hails from Santa Clara University in California. Defender Olivia Neal is a from Campbell University. Dobsch played two seasons for Azem before she made the switch to Villanova.
“At any given moment, we’ve got six to seven players [on the field] that this is their first full season playing with Villanova, starting for us,” Azem said. “It takes some time to get all the pieces together and to establish your identity. And I’ve been very impressed with not only the new players, but also the returners.”
Curtin always knew she wanted to play soccer as long as she possibly could, and now she has the opportunity to do so as Villanova enters conference play.
Villanova will play Seton Hall at Higgins Soccer Complex on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. on Senior Day.
Transfer Hannah Curtin has already been named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll twice. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics
Field Hockey Suffers Loss To Hofstra
Eliza O’Neil Staff Writer
On Sunday, Sept. 14, Villanova field hockey faced off against Hofstra University in an intense back-and-forth battle.
The competition ended with a 2-1 overtime loss for Villanova at Cindy Lewis Stadium in Hempstead, NY.
Villanova went on the road for the fourth time this season.
The Wildcats (1-4) started the game productively, with a goal by junior forward Colleen Finnan in the first three minutes. Finnan has scored in back-to-back games for the Wildcats, scoring twice on three shots on goal.
“Addie Froehlich actually put that ball right on Colleen’s stick and Colleen was in a perfect position to redirect it in the goal,” head coach Joanie Milhous said. “So, it was just really, really, well executed. It was a great way to start.”
However, Villanova could not score another goal despite having eight of its 13 shots on goal.
The Wildcats were able to hold Hofstra (3-1) scoreless for the first 11 minutes of the game until the Pride scored off a penalty corner, tying the game, 1-1.
Hofstra could only manage to get three shot attempts off in the first against Villanova’s defense.
Villanova freshman goalie Sophie Volkel collected seven saves while allowing two goals.
Against Hofstra, Volkel set her collegiate record for saves in a game as well as shots faced. Through four games played this season, she has 11 saves.
“[Volkel’s] very dynamic,” Milhous said. “She makes really big saves. She’s very quick on defending the opponents, attacking penalty corners on straight shots. So, we’re really excited about her, and we’re also really excited about Maddi Sears, because the two of them are really strong together. So right now, Sophie is getting that nod, but Maddi is right there, as well.”
Both defenses were able to hold off each other, entering halftime at 1-1.
The Wildcats had a quick start to the second half, getting downfield for a shot attempt five minutes into the half. Villanova generated four shot attempts in the third quarter, which were all unsuccessful.
Graduate forward Ava Borkowski had a shot on goal late in the third quarter that was blocked by Hofstra’s goalkeeper. Three of Borkowski’s five shot attempts were on goal. She leads the Wildcats with three goals this season.
Villanova’s second-half defense was a highlight of its performance against Hofstra, shutting out the team from finding the net.
“Our defense is really strong,” Milhous said. “They’re really strong and they don’t turn over the ball. Our marking got tighter. We did allow them to come into our circle more than we let other teams. But
these guys are really strong, they’re very poised, they’re very disciplined, they do a fantastic job for us.”
However, after regulation ended in a tie and forced overtime, Villanova’s defense struggled to keep Hofstra’s offensive attack at bay.
In the first five minutes of overtime, Hofstra had four shot attempts that were all off the mark until the Pride’s senior Teresa Karoff buried a game-sealing shot on the fifth attempt off a penalty stroke.
While the ‘Cats are winless on the road, their two upcoming games will both take place at home in Conshohocken, PA, at the Proving Grounds.
“Our record doesn’t show how talented we are,” Milhous said.
“So we’re at that point right now that I don’t want our girls to get discouraged, because we do have a lot of talent, and we just need to show it all together.”
The team is going to focus on locking down its D25 and A25, playing against strong offensive teams and needing the ability to secure goals.
Villanova will start Big East conference play this week, facing the University of Connecticut (2-3) at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19 (ESPN+) at its home field in Conshohocken. Following that game, the team will host a non-conference opponent, taking on Northwestern (6-0) on Sunday, Sept. 21 (FloSports, 3 p.m.).
Men’s Soccer Looks Ahead After Princeton Loss
Sophia Cratty Staff Writer
Villanova and Princeton faced off in men’s soccer for the first time since 2017 this past Saturday, Sept. 13, at Higgins Complex. The Wildcats fell to the Tigers, 3-0.
The last time the teams faced off eight years ago, the Wildcats took a 2-0 loss. The Tigers now own the overall record, 4-2.
The first half saw all three Princeton (2-1-0) goals. Villanova (2-2-2), according to Villanova men’s soccer head coach Mark Fetrow,
struggled in the first half to keep up with Princeton’s offensive pressure. The Wildcats did not make up for the allowed goals in the second half.
“Princeton’s a good team,” Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow said. “They’re well-coached, an NCAA tournament team, and a lot of returners, so we knew it was going to be a test. But, overall, I think we kind of played into their hands a bit in the first half by trying to overplay, and it just dug too big a hole for us to then have to climb out of.”
Going into the match, Villanova had prepared for the team’s constant movement and offensive insistence, but did not execute well
enough on defensive tactics. Fetrow noted the impact of Princeton’s front three players and midfielders.
The Tigers put up 24 shots, creating a number of offensive opportunities throughout the game. Villanova sophomore goalkeeper Alex Yagudayev blocked four shots on goal while allowing in three.
“We wanted to be sound defensively, we knew that Princeton had a lot of fluid movement from their front three and their midfielders,” Fetrow said. “So, we got a good look at that in training two days before the game, felt like we repped it out well, felt like we trained well, but then we
didn’t execute well.”
Villanova received a penalty kick opportunity in the 55th minute when a foul in the box was called on Princeton midfielder Tyler Vilent.
However, Villanova’s shot was saved by Princeton keeper Andrew Samuels, leaving both teams ultimately scoreless for the entirety of the second half.
The game also saw thirteen fouls from Princeton and seven for Villanova. Two yellow cards were given to Princeton players, Sam Vigilante and Jack Jasinski, both for unsportsmanlike behavior.
The Wildcats now look ahead to starting Big East conference play this Friday, Sept. 19 against DePaul University (2-1-4).
Fetrow anticipated that the team would spend the first half of the week reflecting and moving on from Saturday’s disappointing loss.
According to Fetrow, the team’s focus after the game would be to try to get back to the energy the team had at the beginning of the season before setting the game plan for Friday.
“We’ll spend Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, really focusing on us… and being able to stretch teams out, opening up pockets to play through, and being more sound defensively,” Fetrow said. “I think that’s been something we’ve been good at, throughout the beginning of the season here, and we fell very short of that today, so we’ve got to get back to the things that we’ve been doing well.”
Villanova will return home to take on the Blue Demons at Higgins Soccer Complex (ESPN+, 2 p.m.).
Junior Colleen Finnan scored Villanova’s only goal of the game in the opening minutes. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics
Villanova was unable to make up for Princeton’s three goals in the first half, suffering a 3-0 loss on the road on Saturday. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics
Villanova Football vs. Penn State On Sept. 13
Villanova is now 1-1 and will move onto a road matchup at Monmouth on Sept. 20 (1 p.m., FloSports). All photos courtesy of Erick Quezada/Villanovan Photography
The Wildcats were limited to 179 yards of total offense compared to Penn State’s 465.
Sophomore tight end Nolan Clayton overlooks a packed Beaver Stadium. Junior quarterback Tanner Maddocks completed 6-of-12 passes for 69 yards with one touchdown.
At Beaver Stadium in State College, the No. 2-ranked Nittany Lions soundly defeated the Wildcats, 52-6.
The crowd of 109,516 fans was the largest audience that Villanova football has ever played in front of.
Football Falls To No. 2 Penn State In Happy Valley
Dylan Johnson Co-Sports Editor
On Saturday, Sept. 13, a one-handed grab by Villanova receiver Brandon Binkowski in the back of the end zone put Villanova on the scoreboard as the game clock expired at Beaver Stadium. Binkowski’s first collegiate score stopped the Wildcats from being shut out for the first time since 2018.
No. 11 Villanova football (0-2) traveled to Happy Valley to face the FBS powerhouse No. 2 Penn State (3-0). In front of a crowd of 109,516 fans, the largest crowd Villanova has played in front of, and the Nittany Lions soundly defeated the Wildcats, 52-6.
The Wildcats were unable to find consistency on either side of the ball against the Nittany Lions. The Wildcats were limited to 179 yards of total offense, compared to Penn State’s 465. It was the final game before Villanova kicks off conference play next weekend.
“When you play a team where you’re pretty much overmatched, outmatched, in every position, you have to come and play near perfect, and we did not do that today,” head coach Mark Ferrante said. “So, just like every other game, regardless of the score, we’ll try to pick up on the positive plays that we made today.”
Penn State drove 78 yards down the field on the game’s opening drive for a touchdown. It was the first of
eight scoring drives for the Nittany Lions. Villanova only forced Penn State to punt twice. With only six yards of total offense in the first quarter, the Wildcats struggled to move the ball across midfield. Villanova’s first drive of the game resulted in five plays for 15 yards.
Graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter after being sacked on a third-down run out of bounds. Junior quarterback Tanner Maddocks stepped in as the signal caller for two drives before McQuaide returned.
McQuaide threw for 17 yards on seven completions while tossing his first interception of the
season. Through two games, he has 316 passing yards.
Villanova’s defense held Penn State to a field goal on two separate drives in the first half. However, Penn State’s deep rotation of starting-caliber players wore down the Villanova defense as the game went on.
“They had short fields on both of those field goals,” Ferrante said. “After they took the opening drive and kind of did what they wanted, our guys kind of then got used to what they were seeing. To have some three-and-outs after that, and then hold them to some field goals on less than 50-yard fields. I think that was huge.”
With only 69 yards of total
offense in the first half, Villanova trailed Penn State at halftime, 21-0.
A three-and-out ended Villanova’s opening drive of the second half. All but two Villanova drives in the second half would end in a three-and-out or a turnover.
Redshirt freshman Omari Bursey intercepted Penn State quarterback Drew Allar. The Wildcats did not capitalize on the turnover, going three-and-out on the next drive.
Maddocks replaced McQuaide in the fourth quarter and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown to stretch Penn State’s lead to 52-0.
Villanova’s only scoring drive came at the end of the game. Maddocks moved the Wildcats 75 yards downfield on 16 plays. It ended with Binkowski’s one-handed snag.
“I talked to our administration, and the FCS teams play the FBS games like this because it helps us financially,” Ferrante said. “It helps us stay in good places. It helps us take charter flights. It helps us with our budget and things of that nature to give our guys a great experience at our (FCS) level.”
Villanova will now prepare to kick off conference play on the road against No. 18 Monmouth (2-1) at Kessler Stadium (FloSports, 3:30 p.m.).
The Hawks defeated the Wildcats last season, 40-33, one of only two conference losses for Villanova.
Preview: Football Goes On the Road to Monmouth
Casey Healey Staff Writer
This Saturday, Sept. 20, Villanova will travel to Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ, to begin conference play. The No. 12 Wildcats (1-1) are coming off a 52-6 loss to FBS No. 2 Penn State. Although No. 18 Monmouth (2-1) is not an FBS powerhouse, the Hawks are one of the toughest opponents in Villanova’s conference, the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).
Last weekend at Beaver Stadium, the Wildcats faced the highest-ranked opponent they have faced in the last 80 years, in front of the largest crowd in program history.
Villanova has fallen to Monmouth all three times it has played the Hawks in program history. The matchups span from 2011 to 2024, with Monmouth claiming victories both at Villanova and at home.
In their last contest in November of 2024, the Hawks handed the Wildcats one of their only two conference losses, 40-33, despite an attempted comeback, during which Villanova scored 16 points in the fourth quarter alone.
With only two games this season, Villanova has a small sample size of which it is capable. The Wildcat offense is averaging 297 yards of total offense per game. Against Colgate in the season opener, the Wildcats combined for 416 yards of total offense.
Graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide passed for 299 yards
against Colgate but was held to 27 yards against Penn State. He went down with an ankle injury in the first half against the Nittany Lions, but returned to the game before being benched late in the game for junior quarterback Tanner Maddocks.
Senior linebacker Shane Hartzell leads the Wildcats with 15 total tackles (seven solo). In the young Wildcat secondary, multiple new names have stepped up in place of graduating veterans.
Redshirt freshman Anthony Hawkins leads the defensive backs with three pass breakups. Against Penn State, redshirt freshman defensive back Omari Bursey hauled
in an interception, marking the Nittany Lions’ first turnover of the season.
Sophomore running back David Avit had rushed for 102 yards on 25 carries this season. He has led a running back room made up of redshirt sophomore Isaiah Ragland, redshirt sophomore Ja’Briel Mace and senior Isaiah Wright. Last weekend, Monmouth fell to its FBS opponent, Charlotte, 42-35. Monmouth quarterback Derek Robertson threw for 410 yards and four touchdowns. Safety Deuce Lee led with 11 tackles. Robertson was also named CAA Offensive Player of the Week after accounting for seven touch-
downs against Fordham, setting a program record for both passing touchdowns and total scores. He leads the FCS division with 1,265 passing yards—the only 1,000-yard passer this season.
In their season opener against Colgate, the Hawks came back from a 24-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Raiders, 42-39. Robertson threw for 491 yards, the second-most in program history. The Hawks also set a record for the largest comeback in program history. Monmouth currently sits at sixth in the CAA standings. Villanova is ninth. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Kessler Stadium (FloSports).
Villanova traveled to Happy Valley for its annual FBS game. Erick Quezada/Villanovan Photography
Villanova (1-1) will be looking for its first-ever win over No. 18 Monmouth (2-1) to open conference play this Saturday. Erick Quezada/Villanovan Photography
LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS
Politician who dumped a bear in central park
She, in Sicily
Pen DOWN
Aligned oneself (with)
Artist with numbered albums
Sine reciprocal, briefly
Japan's prime minister
Corner PC key
Saint with a hall next
Molecule that carries energy: Abbr.
Reason to separate swine
Varsity athlete's honor
other
(seen in the 2nd and 5th lines counterparts)
"I forgot what to say!"
Intertwined
Emphasized
How tables may be placed
West Point, briefly
___ Moines, Iowa
Sushi selection
Bird: Prefix
Barbie's counterpart
Suddenly change course
Roadside bomb, briefly
Fam. member
"Yuck!"
Reader at Mass
Too
Lawyer's workload
___ longlegs (Cellar Spider)
"Gotcha"
Municipal regs.
Ind. neighbor
Maps apps output
Peter Reilly
THE CROSSWORD
Across
3. This UK drama series is named appropriately for their target audience
8. What people do after messing up big time, also the name of a hit TV show
10. Who Belly ends up with in the books
11. This show has the split of peoples work lives and outside lives
12. Who Sabrina Carpenter's album is rumored to be about
13. This pop-star announced her 12th album which will be out on Oct. 3 Down
1. Similar to The Summer I Turned Pretty, this show's second season just came out
2. The name of Taylor Swift's next album
4. Anime series whose “Infinity Castle” arc just hit U.S. theaters (2025)
5. The second part of the biggest movie of 2024, set to come out in November
6. Newest album by Sabrina Carpenter?
7. Artist who's 2025 VMA performance is being compared to Britney Spears
9. This is the song Sabrina Carpenter sung at the VMAs
What's Cooking? What's Cooking?
THE SCOOP ON DINING
TELL US HOW WE
’
RE DOING
TEXT & TELL
TEXT & TE
TEXT USING T E LOCATION’S CODE BEFORE YOUR MESSAGE: 55744
VUDougherty bagels were amazing today!
Thank you for your feedback!Villanova University
HISPANIC
H ITA MONTH
On September 24th, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with an exciting dining hall takeover! Savor authentic flavors, rich traditions, and powerful spices in every bite. This isn't just a meal—it's a celebration!
