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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN UNIVERSITY | SINCE 1924
Volume CXIII, Issue 10
FREE
NEW YORK, MARCH 31, 2026
Film to Friendship: Andrew McCarthy Speaks on New Book at MU Mary Haley Senior Writer
MU Welcomes Incoming Students with Accepted Students Day This marks the first Accepted Students Day of the calendar year. @MANHATTANEDU / INSTAGRAM
MU Announces its Inaugural Class of Faculty Fellows for the ARCH Innovation Exchange Leyla J. Mercado Features Editor & Asst. Social Media Editor
On March 9, Manhattan University (MU) announced its inaugural class of faculty fellows for the ARCH Innovation Exchange. This campus-wide initiative aims to advance access to learning by promoting these values, as fellows build on a range of projects that combine the foundations from MU’s three schools: the Kakos School of Arts and Sciences, O’Malley School of Business and the
IN NEWS:
School of Engineering. The faculty fellows will be facilitated by Lawrence Udeigwe, Ph.D, a professor of mathematics. According to manhattan.edu, “Udeigwe’s expertise spans applied mathematics, machine learning, computational neuroscience and music, and he has led innovative curriculum development and externally funded research initiatives.” J. Patrick Abulencia, Ph.D, department chairperson of chemical engineering graduate school and associate professor of chemical engineering, spoke to The
IN FEATURES:
Andrew McCarthy Speaks Albanian Student Association Hosts on New Book at MU Soccer Watch Party pg. 3 pg. 5
Quadrangle about what inspired his project within the ARCH innovation exchange. “I have always believed that education should extend beyond the classroom, and this project provided students with an opportunity to apply their skills in a meaningful, real-world context,” Abulencia said. “I wanted our engineering students to engage with people living with limited resources and to better understand an engineer’s responsibility to serve society.” The experience reflects __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Actor, director and travel writer Andrew McCarthy visited Manhattan University (MU) to discuss his new book, “Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America,” offering students a candid look at male intimacy, loneliness and the power of simply showing up for one another. Kelly Marin, Ph.D., chair of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department and the moderator for the event, introduced McCarthy as a multi-hyphenate artist – known for cult-classic films like “Pretty in Pink,” “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “Mannequin” and “Weekend at Bernie’s,” as well as for his award-winning travel writing and multiple New York Times bestsellers. McCarthy visited MU on the official publication day of his new book that reflects on a cross-country trip. The seed of “Who Needs Friends” was planted for McCarthy during a conversation with his son, Sam. Sam, after telling a funny story about his friends, suddenly looked up and observed that his father didn’t really have friends. McCarthy initially defended himself, explaining that he had friends, but he just didn’t see them. The comment from his son still lingered, and it inspired a 10 thousand mile, 22 state road trip across America to reconnect with friends he hadn’t seen in years. Although the reasoning for McCarthy’s journey was to reconnect with his own friends, what he found along the way were conversations with strangers that led to a
IN A&E:
Broadway Show Review: Buena Vista Social Club pg. 7
fascination with how men relate to one another. “I would just chat with [strangers],” McCarthy said. “I wasn’t interviewing people. I was just an interested person in the topic. I would share about my own [experiences], and I was amazed with how open people were… a lot of [people] sort of discovered things about themselves and the place friendship had in their lives, in a way they had never thought about before.” McCarthy said these conversations revealed a pattern for many men; one where intimacy is tangled up with fear – fear of being perceived as weak, vulnerable or sexually suggestive. Saying “I love you” to another man, he admitted, has long been difficult for him, even as his friend began using the phrase freely at the end of phone calls. “There’s an issue of intimacy,” McCarthy said. Intimacy can be construed as vulnerability, and vulnerability is very close to weakness.” However, McCarthy also shared examples of long-term friendships that demonstrated a different dynamic. He described meeting two men in their 70s who had been friends for decades and had recently begun expressing affection more openly. McCarthy recalled one of the friends telling him “I say ‘I love you’ to my wife… why can’t I say it to my best friend?” McCarthy contrasted these stories of connection with the isolation and loneliness he also observed, especially among men who never developed or maintained such intimate bonds. He suggested that the culture equips many men __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
IN SPORTS: Baseball Heads Into Conference Play pg. 9