WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 www.villanovan.com @thevillanovan
STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916
VOLUME 113 | ISSUE 5
Bias In Gabby Petito Case
Mold Infestation in Dorms Affects Students on Campus
Bella Irwin Staff Writer
In June 2021, Gabby Petito left her Florida home and never returned. Setting off on a cross country road trip with her fiance, Brian Laundire, 22-year-old Petito sought adventure. The plan was to end up on the West Coast, stopping at various state and national parks on the way. In close contact with her family and through frequent posts, videos and more on social media, Petito shared her journey with the world. However, all forms of outward communication stopped in late August, and she was not heard from again. As word spread surrounding the elusive nature of her disappearance, disturbing details regarding Laundire and Petito’s relationship came to light. On Aug. 12, a 911 caller reported seeing a couple in a physical altercation on the side of the road and that “the gentleman was slapping the girl.” Detailing a white van with a Florida license plate, police pulled over the described car. Subsequent police camera footage emerged depicting a hysterical Petito, who disclosed to the officer that her fiance, Laundrie, had indeed hit her. Daniel Robbins, the responding officer, relayed that the couple did not wish to file charges and that they claimed to be very much in love. Robbins facilitated the two to separate for the night, having Petito drive the van, while he took Laundrie to a hotel, and that was the end of it. Petito stayed in contact with her family, FaceTiming and updating them as the couple journeyed west. The texting continued through Aug. 27, with her family believing her to be staying in the Tetons. On Aug. 30, they received a final Continued on p. 7
Caitlyn Foley Staff Writer
Something on the forefront of many students’ minds over the course of the first month living back on campus is the issue of mold in the dorms. According to Robert Morro, Vice President for Facilities Management, reports of the mold spiked during the week of Oct. 20, when the weekly five to ten calls rose to about 50 calls. Morro explained that the hot and humid weather, including heavy rainfall throughout the week can be the source of heightened mold growth. Morro and his team worked diligently in the summer to eliminate the possibili-
ty of mold growth. In the low rise buildings on South Campus, the maintenance team replaced the AC units for particularly the stairwells and hallways. Industrial dehumidifiers have also been placed in the residence halls. In addition, the team completed a sanitation routine known as Clorox 360, in preparation for the Fall semester. There are unavoidable issues that can lead to mold growth. Morro explained that when freshmen move-in, the doors are often propped open during the entire day. This allows for the outside humidity and heat to enter the building and be “trapped” when all the doors close again. Unfortunately, this
Many of the reports for mold were made from students living in The Quad. Courtesy of Villanova University
campus-wide issue has led to several students moving dorm rooms due to the black mold making them physically ill. One freshman who lives on main campus stated that she and her roommate “started to feel sick” during the first few weeks of school and said that when “we heard that people had mold in their rooms, we realized we might have it also.” When the parents of these freshman girls visited campus, they confirmed that there was in fact black mold in their dorm room. Unfortunately, these parents “had to email a few times before they actually got a real response.” The University’s response to this report of mold was to offer these girls a place in
temporary housing until the issue was remedied. While this is a reasonable response, The University “never said how or how soon they would fix” the mold issue. When talking to these girls on the Monday after Family Weekend, they still had no information as to where they would potentially move to if they moved at all. This lack of clarity from Residence Life has caused additional stress for freshmen who are still adjusting to living away from home for the first time. If this was an isolated issue of mold growing in one dorm, then this would be a different story. Morro did explain that due to the spikes in reports, him and others from
Continued on p. 2
Prepping for Penn State: The Leaf Blowers Colin Beazley
Co-Sports Editor Graduate quarterback Daniel Smith did not hesitate when asked about the experience of playing in front of 100,000 people. “The leaf blowers were louder,” he said, cracking a smile. Prior to the game, Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante told the media that he was planning on increasing the volume in practice to mimic
the experience of playing in front of the hostile environment of Happy Valley. “We’re gonna try to incorporate a little more noise,
a little more volume into some of our team periods of practice,” Ferrante said. “That’s just one tweak or adjustment to try to simulate 100,000 peo-
The football team used leafblowers to simulate the noise in Beaver Stadium. Courtesy of The Athletic
ple as opposed to ten thousand people.” However, exactly how he planned on increasing the volume was unknown. Many college teams have practiced with music blasting to simulate crowd noise, and former Texas head coach John Mackovic said in an interview with ESPN that his 1995 Longhorns team was “so used to the [Texas A&M] fight song and cheers that the players could almost sing along.” Ferrante went to the local community with a Continued on p. 15
SpO Hosts Inclusion Week p. 3
SGA Freshmen Senator Elections p. 4
Dining Services Update p. 5
University Needs to Raise Campus Minimum Wage p. 6
GPA is an Unrepresentative Measure of Student Ability p. 8
Biden Betrays Immigrants He Promised to Protect p. 9
Mullen Center Presents “WHITE” Opening Weekend p. 11
Concert Review: The Jonas Brothers Are Back p. 12
Men’s Tennis Competes in SJU Tourney p. 16
Men’s Soccer Escapes Butler p. 18