The Villanovan | Volume 112, Issue 12: Date

Page 1

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 www.villanovan.com @thevillanovan

STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916

VOLUME 112 | ISSUE 12

Chauvin NOVAdance Dance Marathon Raises Guilty Over $400,000 for Pediatric Cancer On All Charges Jack Birle Staff Writer

After a day of deliberation the jury found Derek Chauvin guilty on all three charges against him in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin was found guilty on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on April 20. Chauvin was the Police Officer who held Floyd in a restraint by placing his knee on Floyd’s shoulder or neck area. Floyd later died after being released from the restraint. Chauvin will be sentenced in approximately eight weeks on all three charges. According to The New York Times, the presumed sentence for second-degree murder is 12.5 years in Minnesota but the prosecution has requested a longer sentence. President Joe Biden expressed support for the prosecution hours before the verdict was reached. Biden said to reporters at the White House that the evidence was “overwhelming” to him. “[The Floyd family is] a good family, and they’re calling for peace and tranquillity, no matter what that verdict is,” said Biden. “I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict.” Last week the defense was given their opportunity to present their case to the jury. The main argument from the defense was that Floyd’s death was caused mostly or entirely by complications from drugs in Floyd’s system. In criminal court the defense must show reasonable doubt to be acquitted, as the prosecution must show that the defense is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Following the previous week of prosecution witnesses, the defense was allowed to bring their own witness to testify. Continued on p. 2

NOVAdance is a 24-hour dance marathon that raises money for children with cancer. Courtesy of @nova_dance Instagram page

Elena Rouse Co-Culture Editor

Villanova’s campus was filled with the jitterbug this past weekend as the community came together for its annual NOVAdance. During normal times, NOVAdance is a 24-hour dance marathon that raises money for children with cancer. The event was started in 2013 by the Sigma Nu fraternity and Tri Delta sorority in support of the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation. The event has continued to grow and raises hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. “The B+ Foundation provides financial assistance to struggling families of children with cancer and funds groundbreaking research pro-

grams across the country,” the official NOVAdance website says. “For every dollar donated to The B+ Foundation, $0.95 goes towards family assistance and research.” Groups across campus get involved to help raise money in the months leading up to the event through social media campaigns, and they are assigned a certain child, or ‘hero,’ for whom they raise money. Due to the pandemic, the event could not happen last year and had to undergo changes for this semester. Instead of one 24-hour dance marathon, NOVAdance was split up into different sections throughout campus, lasting about 12 hours. There were blow-up games that participants could play at the Oreo. Mendel Field held the main

stage and was surrounded by raffles, food trucks and a tent full of B+ merchandise. The area around the stage had games like cornhole and hula hoops set-up as community members walked around to support the event. Members of the NOVAdance committees treated community goers with a choreographed dance on the field to a mix of songs as the onlookers moved joyously to the beat. There were also stations set up off campus for different heroes and their respective groups to come out and support them. Each hero was adorned with an orange B+ cape for the event. Because of COVID-19, many of the heroes could not come out and participate in the event due to

their compromised immune systems, but this did not stop the community from showing support. Instead of coming to dance, heroes arrived on campus throughout the day in their cars for a ‘drive-by.’ The Villanova community lined up along the brick pathway near Mendel Field, boisterously cheering as a hero was driven by. One hero, Frankie Knowles, smiled brightly as he waved from the backseat of his parents’ car. Sophia Sanchez, a junior on the NOVAdance morale committee, shared her thoughts on the day. “It’s awesome to see people come together despite Covid, and seeing the heroes’ positivity despite everything,” Sanchez said. “It really puts things in perspective.” Continued on p. 9

2021 Commencement Speaker: Father Peter Cate McCusker

Co-Editor-in-Chief Traditionally, a guest speaker would be invited to come to the University’s commencement ceremony to receive an honorary degree and address the graduates. However, this year no one will be receiving an honorary degree and University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A, Ph.D. will be speaking

to the graduates instead. This past Tuesday, The Villanovan was able to speak with Chrissy Quisenberry, Director of Presidential Initiatives and Events, to learn more about this year’s commencement ceremony. “I worked with a focus group of seniors to hear about the parts of graduation that were important to them. We are focusing on making a commencement ceremony that Continued on p. 2

Donohue will be giving this year’s 2021 Commencement Address. Courtesy of Villanova University

First Doses of Moderna Vaccine Distributed to Students p. 3

Protests Continue Following Death of Daunte Wright p. 4

What the Return of Gillespie and Samuels Means for Villanova p. 6

Villanova Should Make COVID-19 Vaccination Mandatory p. 7

On Campus Vaccine Distribution: Too Little, Too Late p. 8

Muslim Students Association Hosts Ramadan Dinners p. 9

2021 Best Picture Lineup and Rankings p. 10

Return of The Met: Metropolitan Museum of Art Gala 2021 p. 11

Softball Sweeps Series With Providence p. 13

Men’s and Women’s Tennis Gain Momentum p. 15


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.