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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN UNIVERSITY | SINCE 1924
Volume CXII, Issue 1
FREE
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 2, 2025
Frederick Bonato Appointed 22nd President of Manhattan University Grace Cardinal Editor-in-Chief
Welcome Back, Jaspers!
Students were welcomed to campus for the first week of classes.
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Manhattan Caucus: From Immigration Reform to Iran Strikes: A Season of Change Although Manhattan University recessed for the summer, the world beyond campus carried on. Immediately after Donald Trump won the election, the president promptly took action, vowing to alter the political landscape of not only the nation, but also the entire world. Since the start of President Trump’s second term, he has signed 196 Executive orders, many of
which have to do with foreign policies. One of the most significant changes the US has seen from this administration is the way it has addressed immigration. Almost immediately after being sworn into office, Trump and his administration overturned former President Joe Biden’s policy which restricted community areas such as churches, schools and hospitals from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This order shifted ICE’s priorities from primarily targeting individuals with criminal backgrounds who entered the country illegally
IN NEWS:
IN FEATURES:
Elaina Batista
Asst. Social Media Editor
Fred Bonato Appointed 22nd President of MU pg. 3
Voices on the Quad: Back to School pg. 5
to viewing all undocumented immigrants as criminals regardless of their history. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt elaborated on this concept in a press briefing back in January. “Of course, the…criminal drug dealers, the rapists, the murderers, the individuals who have committed heinous acts on the interior of our country and who have terrorized law-abiding American citizens, absolutely, those should be the priority of ICE,” Leavitt said. “But that __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
President Frederick Bonato, Ph.D., has been named the 22nd president of Manhattan University. The permanent appointment was announced to the campus community in mid-July via a press release from Stephen Squeri, ‘81, ‘86, chairman of the Board of Trustees. Bonato moves into this position after spending 10 months as the interim president, a position in which he began in September of 2024. Bonato is the successor of Milo Riverso, Ph.D., who stepped down after serving only one year in office. Bonato is now the fourth president students have seen at the university since 2022. Given the recent turnover in this position, and at the university as a whole, the newly-appointed president hopes to restore stability for students and the wider campus community. “Higher ed is a very challenging environment right now, but we have too much to offer here to not exist for another 172 years, at least,” Bonato said. “So stability is important, and that’s a lot of different things coming into play, but the other thing is to continue to help strengthen the community, and that means all the different parts coming together. Anything I can do to help make that stronger, I’m going to do.” Bonato made it clear that he has no plans to vacate his position any time soon. “I want to be here for the rest of my career,” Bonato said. “I’m saying that bluntly. I don’t see this in any way as a stepping stone to any other position. I’d be happy to end my career
IN A&E: WRCM Welcomes New Board pg. 6
here, because I already know that this is where I want to be.” So far in his tenure, Bonato has worked on a multitude of projects, both directed at restoring tradition and ensuring the university is wellequipped to move into the future. Some of these projects include a revamped first year experience, the development of an IBM skills build program and more. “The biggest project that we’re working on right now, and it’s just something I’m personally jazzed about, is the first year experience,” Dean of Students Gerarda Shields, Ph.D., told The Quadrangle. “The idea of creating a series of curated activities, whether they’re explicitly for freshmen, or encouraging them to be part of the campus community, I see that as a model, not only for the first years, but also for our sophomores, our juniors, our seniors and graduate students, where the goal would be to create experiences that highlight each year as you move through Manhattan University.” The Quadrangle also sat down with Interim Provost Bridget Chalk, Ph.D., to speak about some of the interdisciplinary projects being worked between her office and the president’s. “We’re working on a lot of different things,” Chalk said. “One thing that will be talked about soon is a new interdisciplinary hub where we will attempt to accelerate innovation and collaboration across all different departments… There’ll be news about new interdisciplinary majors that will be launched for next year in various areas, with regards to emerging technology and bringing our strengths in business, engineering and __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
IN SPORTS:
Jasper Dancers Revamp Audition Process pg. 12