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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN UNIVERSITY | SINCE 1924
Volume CXI, Issue 12
FREE
NEW YORK, APRIL 15, 2025
Remembering Aaron Schoepf, Class of ‘26 Grace Cardinal Editor-in-Chief
Jaspers Celebrate Mission Week
Starting with the Feast Day of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, Mission Week allows students to get involved with acts of service. @MANHATTANEDU / INSTAGRAM
President Frederick Bonato Endorses Full Participation of MU Students in Civic Engagement Interim President Frederick Bonato became the third Manhattan University president to sign a letter expressing MU’s commitment to full participation in civic engagement and voting. Multiple students working on the Jaspers Vote team were present for the event, including Gabrielle Blair, Samantha Pavlick, Danica Mason and Tigist Dagnatchew, along with
political and international studies professor Margaret Groarke, Ph.D., to commit to making civic engagement a priority for the community. Jaspers Vote competes in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge every year, where they are rated on a variety of criteria including their plan for how they are going to register voters. By looking at how many voters are registered and how many students actually vote, they try to dissect the institutional commitment to civic engagement. “They [ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge] ask us
IN NEWS:
IN FEATURES:
Brooke Della Rocco News Editor
Student Government MU Celebrates Welcomes New Board Mission Week pg. 5 pg. 3
to get the president to commit to a goal of having every eligible Manhattan University student participating,” Groarke said. “So we decided that we wanted to do that in a public way because the commitment is more meaningful if everybody on campus knows the president is behind this.” Jaspers Vote focuses on logistics, not only making sure students are registered to vote, but making sure they are able to participate in broader civic responsibilities. __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Aaron Schoepf, a junior at Manhattan University, suddenly passed away on Thursday, April 3 at 21 years old. In his time at MU, Schoepf was a highly recognized presence on campus, involved in the performing arts, the Pride Center, the English department and beyond. Schoepf graduated in 2022 from Washingtonville High School in Washingtonville, NY. He began at MU in fall of 2022, as an English major, adding minors in music and theatre. Schoepf immediately became involved in the performing arts upon joining the MU community, something he was highly involved with in his high school years as well. Schoepf’s presence in the performing arts was felt monumentally, and the hole he left even moreso. “I can speak on the impact, because now there’s a gaping hole in the community, and when someone has a huge impact, and then they leave, there’s a crater left behind,” Andrew Bauer, director of performing arts, said. “So we are experiencing in performing arts now this crater, and what we can do is that we can fill that crater with the love that he brought, and all of our experiences with Aaron, and that will be eventually filled, and there will be beauty left where that gaping hole is right now.” An on-campus memorial service was held in honor of Schoepf and his family in the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers on Friday, April 4.
IN A&E:
Players Perform Aaron Schoepf Memorial Concert pg. 7
Classes were suspended for an hour to allow students to attend, grieve and show their support for such a loved individual. Schoepf’s mother, Marcella “Mama” Schoepf, wrote a note in her absence that was read at the service by Vice President of Student Life Kristell Lowe. The letter was shared with The Quadrangle. “I want to express my regret for not being able to join you today to remember Aaron,” Schoepf’s mother’s note began. “I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and love you have so generously given him throughout his time here at Manhattan University. The classrooms, halls, and stages of this campus have been a welcoming place of warm fellowship, unconditional acceptance, and beautiful friendships for Aaron. He felt a true connection to this community and I am deeply grateful to you for being such an important part of his life.” The note concluded, “Please join me to celebrate and hold dear precious memories of his passion for the theater, his creative and thoughtful writing, and especially the songs he held in his heart and shared with all of us. With gratitude, Marcella “Mama” Schoepf.” Rocco Marinaccio, Ph.D., the department chairperson of liberal learning, English professor and advisor for the Pride Center and Rainbow Jaspers, worked closely with Schoepf in his time on campus. He fondly remembers Schoepf for being “gigantically energetic” and for the intelligence, poise and honesty he brought to everything he took on. __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
IN SPORTS: Esports Reflects on a Strong Season pg. 12